Instinct
by MikiMoke
Summary: A group of survivors must band together to beat the Outbreak, but will they eventually succomb to their survival instincts? What will happen when obstacles stand in their way of living? Perhaps safety is just right around the corner, past the crowd of flesh-hungry beasts and insane survivors. May go to M.
1. Characters

**Oke, oke, I have the characters here. For those of you who submitted characters for Instinct, I would like to inform you that it had been deleted (pretty sure I already told you, yeah?). Here's the rewrite, and a new introductory chapter for Yomi (and maybe a couple'a others).**

**[EDIT] - A new character has come into the story - a late submission by the name of Phil Angelo. I'll ask for your character's thoughts on him along with the new questions.**

**[EDIT] - Takuya has been pulled out of Instinct and won't be appearing in it unless his creator changes his mind, but I will be keeping his info up on the character page anyway.**

* * *

**_Name: _**Yomi Suzumiya

**_Nickname:_** None

**_Age:_** 17

**_Gender: _**Female

**_Personality:_** Yomi is the type of person who hides their intelligence by using simple actions and expressions. She comes off as a bit of an airhead that can't seem to stop smiling, but that is just her trying to be optimistic. Her smile falters when people insult her friends, but it lasts for a second before she acts happy again. However, people will know she's ticked off by her posture and subtle things like clenched hands. She gets by judging character through the vibes they put out, and she's been doing it since her mother taught her how to. The only time when Yomi will snap is when someone insults her friend Aria, who distracted a group of "them" in order to let Yomi and Grigori (the dog Yomi finds) escape. (The two still haven't been reunited.) When Yomi gets angry, she goes on a rampage of cooped up anger. Regardless, Yomi is easy to get along with. She treats everyone around her with respect - unless she feels something off about them or knows they're bad people - and is very considerate of others more than herself. As mentioned before, she sometimes gives off the illusion of being a bit of an airhead, and often looks like a confused puppy when people explain things. She is the kind of person that, if cornered in a room with someone else while 'they' were storming in, she'd stay with the person till the end.

**_Nationality: _**Japanese

**_Family:_**

Father: Daisuke Suzumiya, unknown (he ran from home when Junko was bitten)

Mother: Junko Suzumiya, "them"

Cousin: Hikaru Suzumiya, unknown and assumed alive

Best Friend: Aria Lambert, unknown and hopefully alive

**_Background: _**Yomi was raised in an average life and had a pretty good social and school status. She was taught by her mother how to feel a person's vibes and find out their personality when she was six. After being offered a chance to house an exchange student from England, Yomi became friends with Aria and learned a few things in Western culture that she does out of habit to this day (e.g. not bowing when thanking someone/meeting someone important, sitting cross-legged rather than on her knees). She got average grades and such and didn't really have any enemies. She started learning kickboxing at around eight, as per her father's wishes, in case someone tried to mug her or harm her on her way to and from school, or anywhere she went.

**_Description -_**

**_Hair: _**A little past the shoulders and black, with corkscrew curls at the bottom. Her fringe is to the side, but usually leaves it wherever it falls (doesn't really obscure her vision, so she doesn't bother to move it away). She cuts it a little later on until it's a little longer than a pixie cut, and still wears her Alice headband with it.

**_Eyes: _**Amber

**_Height:_** Average (I suck at height, no news there -_-)

**_Skin Tone: _**Fair

**_Clothing –_**

**_Early clothes: _**White cardigan, black spaghetti string tank top, dark skinny jeans, black converses, a red Alice headband

**_Second Clothes: _**A brown leather jacket that cuts off above the stomach, a black turtleneck, brown leather trousers, dark combat boots, and her Alice headband. Also wears a belt with a gun holster on the left side.

**_Sleeping Clothes: _**Just some shorts and a white tank top

**_Markings/Tattoos/Piercings:_** Both ears are pierced with small studs

**_Weapons – (Max. Two)_**

**_Starts With (Temporary):_** A dagger that Aria gives her

**_Main:_** A bow and arrows

**_Secondary:_** Herself – has some kickboxing skills.

**_Strengths: _**Knows kickboxing, knows how to cook desserts (especially fried ice cream :D), has a good sense of direction, will keep fighting if she can, good at keeping quiet, she's good at archery

**_Weaknesses: _**Her fear of the dark will leave her useless and her generosity can get the better of her (she'll try to help people who have been bitten, and it will NOT end well), and she also gets paranoid in rooms found in horror movies

**_Fears:_** Rooms found in horror movies, the dark, spiders

**_Likes: _**Dogs, people, reading, calm vibes, the colour green, sweets, kind people, her friends, kick-boxing, cats

**_Dislikes:_** People who use her, spiders, dark and dank rooms

**_Sexuality: _**Straight

**_What kind of person do they like (what kind would they be paired with): _**Someone kind and able to calm her down when she gets giddy/angry/hyperactive/etc. They can also lift her spirits when her optimistic side begins to fade, and enjoys her company more than her looks

**_Habits: _**Chews her nails or taps her heel on the floor if she gets bored

**_Abilities: _**Spot on aim

**_Personal – _**

**_Favourite Colour: _**Green

**_Favourite Song:_** Borderlands, by Mami Kawada

**_Favourite Thing To Do:_** Read, maybe sleep

**_Their Idea Of A Bad Day/Event:_** Being made the centre of attention for something she's embarrassed to do

**_Favourite Book/Movie/Game:_** Die Hard – it's the best movie she's seen from overseas. If she had to choose from anything else, she's say any movie from the Eastern Eye company

**_Misc:_** She tends to get a little upset after she gets mad, and isolates herself from people in order to "cool off"

...

_**Name:**_Shin Mori

_**Nickname:**_Kazuhiko (An alias used by the yakuza gang.)

_**Age:**_19

_**Gender:**_Male

_**Personality:**_Shin can be described audacious and bold- and not just physically. His reckless and daring nature makes people think that he shouldn't be trusted for important tasks and performances. Shin acts like a comic-relief, when in groups or public, and tries to lighten up the mood as he cares deeply for his friends. Shin tends to bottle up any worries or insecurities he might be feeling, and mask them with cheery personalities so that he does not have to deal with others in asking him if something is wrong, and that he doesn't want anyone to worry about him because he thinks it might be a burden to them. His looks and cheerful personality on the outside is what made him nicknamed as Kazuhiko meaning harmonious prince.

On the inside Shin is very serious, and quite intelligent and only shows this side of him if the situation needs it; when alone he can be very quiet and be himself often thinking about his childhood life which traumatized him, and events that occurred recently making people and gang members assume him spacing out and only allows his very close peers to see this side of him, but that doesn't mean he doesn't trust his friends; he sees his true personality as intimidating to others and decided to keep it to himself masking it with optimism. Despite all the masks Shin has a very strong determination and faith towards himself, his sister and to his friends. Shin's also unaware and careless about his physical and emotional health telling people that they shouldn't worry.

He's also used to people insulting him, but the insults of his peers matter to him greatly and very caring towards people he is seen as a brother figure in the group sometimes a father figure and tries to help them with their problems as much as he can and won't break promises, but he'll break it if it's required to save people, however he cannot solve his own problems often relying to his big sisters sometimes Kazuo help and advice. Along with Kazuo they are both prepared whether to live or die.

_**Nationality:**_Japanese

_**Family:**_

_**Mother:**_ Bunko Nishi, deceased.  
_**Father:**_Dai Nishi, deceased.

_**Sister:**_Ran Mori, 27, unknown

_**Best Friend:**_Kazuo Nishi, unknown and alive

_**Background:**_Shin's parents died from the yakuza gang his parents owed a debt to, the same yakuza organization Shin and Kazuo joined, when he was only 3 years old and his sister 13 at that time, and now the debt falls onto the siblings knowing that there's no way to pay this and continue Shin's education his sister willingly gave herself to prostitution to make money then Shin's trauma started during his childhood and teenage years often times witnessing rapes and sexual acts, in the house that the yakuza offered to them which is why Shin joined the organization to pay off their debts and free his sister from horrendous acts; at the same time study hard. He would always comfort his sister and try his best to be brave and strong however he bottles all the problems and pain he'd felt just to make someone smile his situation wasn't easy and was about to give himself over to being cold hearted but he knows that helping people is the only way to solve his problems and make someone happy especially his sister.

The yakuza offered him kendo and taekwondo practices that'll soon prepare him to be the dog of the organization and a great weapon for the gang and the first time Shin killed a person wasn't easy and he'd always feel guilty about it and cannot concentrate on his studies during that time but it soon fades away and became more of a job until he ages and tried his best to obtain s-ranked jobs which pays a big sum of money until he reached his goal. He had met Kazuo in high school and saw that he had potential in him the two soon became friends and Shin managed to convince Kazuo to join the gang and the boss was quite content with this making both of them weapons of the yakuza and were given high payment of money; he was saddened that Kazuo's studies were affected by the jobs but the boy was determined to go through this which made Shin admire Kazuo's determination. However during this time he had paid the debt, but his sister still continued her prostitution saying it's already become a part of her life making Kazuo burst in anger and was too depressed to even see her anymore and left the house…

During the infection he tries to search for his sister hoping that he'll reunite with her, but first he needs to find Kazuo and help from a few people who's willing to help him.

_**Description -**_

_**Hair:**_Emerald green messy shoulder length hair and layered bangs clipped on his upper hair portion with a pair of hairclips.

_**Eyes:**_Gray narrow eyes that often displays a twinkle of happiness.

_**Height:**_5'10

_**Skin Tone:**_Naturally fair, but tanned himself with a medium tan skin tone because it's recently popular in Japan.

_**Clothing –**_

_**Early clothes:**_A white suit with black loafers. A gold necktie hangs loosely around his neck.

_**Second Clothes:**_A zebra Black and Gold striped long sleeved plaid shirt fit his body; whilst topped by a Black vest and Red tie. He wears ripped washed out skinny jeans with Red converse shoes.

_**Sleeping Clothes:**_A white shirt and red pajama pants.

_**Markings/Tattoos/Piercings:**_Three earrings adorned his left ear. His entire torso and shoulder blades are tattooed with carp's and peonies.

_**Weapons – (Max. Two)**_

_**Starts With (Temporary)**_: A normal hand gun.

_**Main:**_A katana.

_**Secondary:**_A glock-17 hand gun and taekwondo. He rarely uses a gun, but often time keeps it with him...

_**Strengths:**_Taekwondo, swordsmanship, settling arguments, lighting up the mood, serious and intelligent (Keeps this inside); strong determination and faith; helpful with people's problems, caring, obedient, loyal, masking his emotions and singing.

_**Weaknesses:**_Bottling up his problems and pain, careless about his emotional problems and physical state, cannot solve his own problems, overprotective, his childhood, big sister and close people, promising promises, merciless in killing, and nearsighted.

_**Fears:**_Cannot protect the people he cares about especially killing them, getting people caught up in his problems, his childhood, scaring people away due to his reputation in the yakuza gang, breaking promises.

_**Likes:**_Helping, people, reading, and his big sister; protecting his friends, his friends, animals, spicy food, kendo and taekwondo.

_**Dislikes:**_The same mentioned in his fears, off-key vocal sounds, telling people his problems; bitter food and coffee.

_**Sexuality:**_Straight.

_**What kind of person do they like (what kind would they be paired with):**_Someone who can solve his problems and make him talk about it who'll care and love him who also loves to help people and at least cook; and can accept his reputation in the yakuza and his childhood.

_**Habits:**_Punches the wall to relieve stress especially when his emotions burst and makes him angry, and drifts to thinking about his past.

_**Abilities:**_Taekwondo, swordsmanship, settling arguments, lighting up the mood, and solving people's problems.

_**Personal –**_

_**Favourite Colour:**_Violet, White and Yellow.

_**Favourite Song:**_Flyaway by BACK-ON

_**Favourite Thing To Do:**_Taekwondo, polishing his katana, doing something good for people, lighting up the mood, and solving people's problems.

_**Their Idea Of A Bad Day/Event:**_When his jokes aren't working, when he can't solve a problem and when the bottled up emotions burst and he punches the wall until his knuckles bleed.

_**Favourite Book/Movie/Game:**_Memoirs of a Geisha – The story somehow relates to his big sister Ran's life and would feel pain whenever he watches it.

_**Misc:**_ His sis-con is not like loving his sister in an incestuous way more like he's dependent and protective of her… The tattoos on his back, which was tattooed when he was 18, was a way to show him that he's stronger and also a sign that he had a paid the debt.

...

_**Name:**_Minori Iriye

_**Nickname:**_Mino, Nori or Mimi (A nickname only his mother call him.)

_**Age:**_18

_**Gender:**_Male

_**Personality:**_Minori has a charming personality and a sarcastic wit. As much as he tries to hide anything about himself most of the time with teasing and rudeness, he is honest, good natured, polite, but he's the type of person who likes to keep important information to himself, just to see what happens. He's competitive and rude, on the outside but he also has a soft side that he doesn't like people seeing. He is overprotective of those he cares about. He's a bit insane due to his slight sadistic nature, but despite all this he's good at strategy. Mino is good at manipulating but doesn't use it often and will only use it if it's advantageous to the group.

_**Nationality:**_Japanese

_**Family:**_  
_**Mother:**_Kameyo Iriye, age 48, unknown and might be infected

_**Little brother:**_Kin Iriye, age 13, alive, short spiky lavender hair and blue eyes. Intelligent, kind and shy his weapon is a gun which he knows is used for killing zombies only, taking it with caution…

_**Girlfriend:**_Suzume Ichihara, age 16, "them"

_**Background:**_Minori's mother is a beautiful model which makes Mino and his brother's life luxurious; they can purchase whatever they wanted and both siblings were homeschooled due to early stardom occupations, which made him develop a sadistic nature because he was kept in a sheltered life and wanted something new to do, Minori being the eldest was born with facial feminine features which made his mother very happy and started turning him into a cross-dressing model letting his hair grow longer alongside his little brother who was also born with facial feminine features… Although the siblings were dissatisfied by this but obeyed their mother's wishes because she's a kind and caring woman and they loved her very much but Minori was enrolled in a target practice and learned strategizing by observing how things work, to avoid getting kidnapped or raped, during his teenage years while his brother remained occupied in his studies.

During his early teenage life he decided to go to school and told his mother he can handle the work and his mother very much approved of it but hired a maid to care for him until he graduated from high school; he unwillingly obeyed and soon met a beautiful and shy girl named Suzume that's supposed to be his maid, he was very content knowing that he has someone to tease and later on both were falling in love with each other and started dating, his mother was content of this as long she is nice and beautiful and only want what's best for her son, Minori occasionally physically hurts Suzume due to his confusion of sometimes being affectionate towards her, unaware that it's normal for him to be affectionate because it's his personality, Suzume understood this however and bared with this because this is how Minori is…

During the infection Minori saw his mother turned into "them" in front of his little brother both siblings decided to escape and bring important weapons with them and searched for Suzume who was in her room devouring a corpse of a servant… Minori who was devastated, left with a broken heart and escaped with his little brother and sought out to look for shelter.

_**Description -**_

_**Hair:**_Mino's lavender straight hair is layered with Light Blue streaks with long fringes that doesn't cover his eyes, his hair is waist length most commonly worn in pigtails with ribbons (Like a Misa Amane hairstyle)... Later on, after meeting Yomi, his hair was cut neck length in a messy bed head layered hairstyle, but the light blue streaks remained.

_**Eyes:**_Lime green eyes.

_**Height:**_5'2

_**Skin Tone:**_Mino has a fair skin tone. His body is slim yet slightly toned and has smooth skin.

_**Clothing –**_

_**Early clothes:**_Mino's hair is long at this time he wore a light pink short sleeved sweet Lolita dress features with gathered ruffle trims and decorated with lace. The front of the dress has ribbons crossed.

_**Second Clothes:**_His hair was cut now and he wears a loose off-shoulder black top with studs and black baggy jeans with straps, zippers and belts. He wears a skull locket with a picture of his girlfriend and him; and black leather fingerless gloves.

_**Sleeping Clothes:**_He wears blue checkered boxers and a white long loose tall t-shirt that has a large skull design on the front.

_**Markings/Tattoos/Piercings:**_Both ears are pierced usually wears skull earrings.

_**Weapons – (Max. Two)**_

_**Starts With (Temporary):**_A metal baseball bat he grabbed in his little brother's bedroom.

_**Main:**_Machete.

_**Secondary:**_A hand gun.

_**Strengths:**_Making distractions, faking emotions, manipulating people, very fast in movements, imitating a sweet innocent personality and voice, strategy, honest, good natured, polite, high accuracy and very determined.

_**Weaknesses:**_Gets confused over what his true personality is due to faking emotions plenty of times; physically weak, competitive, rude near people he barely met, hates talking to people about his problems except for those he trusts; hides information just to see what happens, low pain tolerance, because he's competitive he overdoes things too much and killing those he cares about.

_**Fears:**_That the strategy he has made fails and endangers those he cares about, failing his tasks, being weaker than his rivals/rival, when people worry about him, when he cannot accomplish something, having to kill Suzume or his mother and his brother getting infected.

_**Likes:**_Teasing people, strategizing, visual kei music and style, sweets, when people follow his orders, keeping information, distracting "them", pleasing those he cares about, target practicing using his machete, hurting people physically a bit, sharp things, getting stroked on the head, his family and Suzume, and people depending on him.

_**Dislikes:**_Losing to his rival/rivals, cross-dressing but has to do it for distractions; failing tasks, his strategy not going according to plan, showing his good natured side, reminded of Suzume, due to being physically weak he hates it when people hit him or slightly poke him because he might fall down; getting people close to him because he might get closer too.

_**Sexuality:**_ Bi-sexual  
_**What kind of person do they like (what kind would they be paired with):**_Someone who can get past Mino's rude exterior and unfazed by his teasing remarks that but also can be slightly affected when he teases them. A person who believes in him, follows his orders when he makes a plan and challenges him a lot but still cares for him; and won't complain he's being over-protective. The person has to love him even if he's short or looks like a girl; said person should make Mino forget about Suzume…

_**Habits:**_Combing his fingers through his hair, teasing people and gripping his hands when angered.

_**Abilities:**_Strategizing, Distracting, fast speed, accuracy and manipulating people and faking his emotions.

_**Personal – **_

_**Favourite Colour:**_Black, violet, blood red and silver.

_**Favourite Song:**_Yokan, by Heidi

_**Favourite Thing To Do:**_Tease people, hide information, manipulate people, annoy the people he likes but will stop if it's really pissing them off, playing the NDS (Think of any game you'd like him to play during your story), strategize, being a distraction, and listening to visual kei music.

**_Their Idea Of A Bad Day/Event:_** When he teases people and it doesn't affect them at all not even once; when his NDS, games and charger break or burn, when people get killed for not listening to his plans and instructions during strategizing, entertaining very loud attention-seekers... And most of all getting shoved or poked for he falls down and get hurt... D:

_**Favourite Book/Movie/Game:**_Doesn't have time to read books and watch movies because of his occupation as a cross-dressing model, but most of the time plays his NDS and so far loves the games in it.

_**Misc:**_ The only language he knows is English and Japanese, he still cannot forget about Suzume because he believes that she is the one, he is very physically weak one poke from a finger and he'd get hurt and fall, he does look like a girl, he listens to his brother for advice, he obeys his mother willingly and loves her very much, he gets bored easily when a person is too dumb to understand what he teases, he bought his NDS and NDS charger with him.

...

_**Name:**_Kyoko Hatsune

_**Nickname:**_Heiress ( She rarely gets called this after the outbreak), Yoko

_**Age:**_17

_**Gender:**_Female

_**Personality:**_She is very soft spoken, shy, and ditzy. She loves caring for people and, like Yomi, would never leave anyone behind. She is very innocent since she came from a sheltered lifestyle and would blush if anyone would talk dirty. If someone says something dirty and she doesn't know what is it, she will asked them, and most likely get a unpleasant answer. She is really good at talking to people and persuading them to do whatever she wants. Even though, She is bubbly, she sometimes has suicidal thoughts. Especially on rooftops. She can't stand this side and always pushes it away, but sometimes she wonders...

_**Nationality:**_Japanese

_**Family:**_

_**Father:**_Akiru Hatsune: Unknown

_**Mother:**_Miyuki Hatsune: "Them"

_**Brother:**_Hayate Hatsune: 15: Dead

_**Background:**_Kyoko had a sheltered lifestyle since she was heiress of Hatsune Corp. All her life she had been home-schooled and had been taught to lead and talk to people.. Her little brother was always jealous that she would lead the corp and on her 16th birthday he went to the building's rooftop and jumped off. After that, she always had a fear that she would jump off a rooftop too. It started out as paranoia then gradually came to be her real thoughts. When the outbreak happened, she was in a meeting with her father.

_**Description -**_

_**Hair:**_Originally brown but she dyed it Strawberry blond at 15. It is mid back length and is pretty damaged.

_**Eyes:**_Almond brown

_**Height:**_5"6

_**Skin Tone:**_Fair

_**Clothing –**_

_**Early clothes:**_Sleeveless Button up white shirt with a black midthigh skirt. Black sneakers.

_**Second Clothes:**_A black tank top with a brown and black ledderman (I think thats what there called o.O) sweater, black skinny jeans, black fingerless gloves, and she kept her sneakers.

_**Sleeping Clothes:**_She sleeps in her clothes

_**Markings/Tattoos/Piercings:**_N'A

_**Weapons – (Max. Two)**_

_**Starts With (Temporary):**_Coathanger without the top

_**Main:**_Explosives

_**Secondary:**_15 inch knife

_**Strengths:**_Has really good people talking skills as well as leadership, She's flexible and double jointed, She is cautious, doesn't judge, good with children.

_**Weaknesses:**_Innocent, she may care too much, She hates going on rooftops, She doesn't like hurting people, she doesn't know what dirty stuff is ( Rape, ect)

_**Fears:**_Suicide

_**Sexuality:**_Straight

_**What kind of person do they like (what kind would they be paired with):**_Someone kind to her and would be able to protect her.

_**Habits:**_She brushes her hair when nervous.

_**Abilities:**_Persuading and making a kid stop crying.

_**Personal –**_

_**Favourite Colour:**_Yellow

_**Favourite Song:**_575 by Perfume

_**Favourite Thing To Do:**_Explore

_**Their Idea Of A Bad Day/Event:**_Her thoughts coming to her.

_**Favourite Book/Movie/Game:**_Winnie the Pooh! 2011 It's cute :)

_**Misc:**_ She gets a lot of crap since her last name is Hatsune (Hatsune Miku)

...

_**Name:**_Kazuo Nishi

_**Nickname:**_Kazu, Isao (Alias in the yakuza gang) or Zuo (Only a few people can call him that.)

_**Age:**_19

_**Gender:**_Male

_**Personality:**_Kazuo's solemnity and quiet nature hide a profound sense of honor and loyalty, a touching shyness, and a strong, loving heart; he anchors everyone around him. Kazuo is, first and foremost, an exceedingly skilled swordsman, and his merciless skill with the blade - coupled with his quiet nature - mark him initially in as a lone wolf, the aloof and unrepentant killer. And make no mistake, Kazuo has little compunction about killing; he believes strongly in duty, he's exceedingly loyal to orders, and wields his sword without regret when moved to do so. That said, he's also a sword geek but, more importantly, he has an impeccable understanding of what it means to wield a blade. Kazuo understands the transience of life, he knows the cost of taking a life, and so his ability is tempered with a significant amount of discipline and control.

However, Kazuo also has a curiously nurturing streak. The phrase "den mother" comes to mind. He's relatively skilled with cooking and prepares to pay for anything. He's strikingly perceptive, observant and aware on what's going on around him. It's these quiet scenes that make him a linchpin in situations when someone can't hold their anger; he's so quiet that sometimes he seems almost invisible. What sets Kazuo apart, though, is the inherent depth of his feeling beneath that quiet exterior. It quickly becomes evident that, despite his aloof nature, he feels passionately, loves deeply, and thinks a lot about those he cares for. His relationship with his lover is quiet shared silences, shy advances, blushes and stammers; his skilled swordsmanship and expansive understanding of battle underscores a near-naiveté, or perhaps innocence, that startles with its sweetness. Kazuo expresses affection often through what he doesn't say, through the simple silent moments he chooses to share with others. Kazuo's spare caresses speak volumes and his brief sentences mean everything; the touches itself speaks more than a verbal confession ever could. His small quiet smile, while rare, conveys a genuine happiness and intense depth of feeling that's absolutely heartwarming.

He's aloof and quiet, but a lot of that nature is due to how reflective he is, how thoughtful he is about the words he wants to say. He's profoundly loyal and deeply skilled, a bearer of all the requisite traits of a samurai lineage, but charmingly sweet and shyly innocent all the same. Kazuo also seems to have dry sense of humor but never tries to say anything related to it,

_**Nationality:**_Filipino born in the Philippines then traveled with his family to Japan to work there (He's part Japanese and part Filipino)

_**Family:**_

_**Father:**_Keiichi Nishi, 45, "them" (Stayed with his wife until she became one of "them" thus turning him into one and told the kids to run away … Keiichi knows that Kazuo can protect the twins even without his help. Kazuo confessed what he has done in tasks his boss in the Yakuza ordered him to and asked his parents if they can still forgive him and they only gave him a bittersweet smile and forgave him and that's the only answer Kazuo needed and cut off his ties with the Yakuza.)

_**Mother:**_Cherry Nishi, 44, "them" (Got turned into a zombie; her husband stayed with her until she turned him into one of "them" too although she never wanted him to become a zombie but her husband is pretty stubborn.)

_**Little Twin Siblings:**_ Valentine Nishi, female, 10 youngest by 15 minutes, unknown and assumed alive  
Valentino Nishi, male, 10 older by 15 minutes, unknown and might be dead or "them"

_**Best Friend:**_Shin Morri, 19, unknown and alive (A yakuza gang)

_**Background:**_Kazuo's childhood was pretty easygoing and successful during his life in the Philippines, since both of his parents are business managers and grew up to be spoiled with his younger siblings. Having been provided with everything he needs Kazuo still taught himself how to be independent, never asked anything from his parents, and able to provide his family by working hard in his academics to avoid upsetting his parents. Kazuo as a young child was already introduced to use the computer at such an early age and started reading books like "Sadako and the thousand paper cranes" at the age of 8; at this age he started watching kendo and aikido videos online and asked his parents if he could learn both, his father whose very ecstatic allowed him to practice both and has been learning until at the age of 13- which was continued once he and his family arrived in Japan.

During his teenage years Kazuo still continued practicing kendo but stopped training aikido because he's very dedicated of the way of the samurai and swordsmanship however he never abandoned what he had learned during aikido practice… When Kazuo turned 15 he still maintained good grades but was reduced to average when he had met a yakuza gang named Shin and joined a yakuza group, the young man was the same age as him and was experienced in the outside life and became good friends after such time, Kazuo was given the alias "Isao" to protect his real name he was a bit influenced in crime activities that his school haven't known about and only told his parents about it they were very angry and sad but they still cared for him so long he won't do any activities related to drugs, alcohol, rape and murdering. Often times he and Shin participate in 'dangerous' jobs that their boss trusted to give them due to their strength and loyalty and Kazuo at times associate in murdering but never once had he and Shin participated in rapes and sexual activities, which is usually seen in the yakuza house.

During the spread of the illness Kazuo has finished packing everything important he and his siblings were inside the room of his parents while his mother is on the bed and his father sitting next to her. Keiichi never wanted to leave his wife because they promised each other to be together until death and knows that the kids will be alright to survive; Kazuo knows that this is not the time to confess his murder activities in the yakuza group but still wants to know of his parents opinions and they were depressed but still forgave him- knowing that it's foolish of him to ask he and his siblings left; but as they went outside a horde of zombies attacked them and he managed to kill 13 and escaped suddenly the twins disappeared within his sight now Kazuo is off to look for them and survive at the same time for he fears that they're dead or one of "them"…

_**Description -**_

_**Hair:**_Long red layered hair that reaches his waist with a triangular fringe at the front that barely touches the ridge of his nose and side-fringes framing his face. A single long lock of his hair is braided hanging on his left shoulder. He often times braid his hair in a loose side fishtail leaving the long strands of hair on his face frame.

_**Eyes:**_Gold sharp shaped eyes yet relaxed.

_**Height:**_5'11

_**Skin Tone:**_A fair skin tone and a slightly toned body.

_**Clothing –**_

_**Early clothes:**_A black suit with black loafers. A red necktie hangs loosely around his neck.

_**Second Clothes:**_He wears a white long sleeve high collared shirt with four of the buttons unbuttoned the sleeves are rolled up on the elbows and white skinny jeans are paired with black combat boots. Kazuo wears a silver cross necklace around his neck; black gloves and a skull belt for accessories.

_**Sleeping Clothes:**_Black golden striped pajama pants.

_**Markings/Tattoos/Piercings:**_Both ears are pierced with silver cross earrings. Kazuo's body is covered in lotus and dragon tattoos all over his torso and right shoulder.

_**Weapons – (Max. Two)**_

_**Starts With (Temporary):**_Several knives hidden in his coat.

_**Main:**_A katana.

_**Secondary:**_Aikido.

_**Strengths:**_Swordsmanship, thoughtful, observant, a bit of Aikido, cooking, disciplined, and polite, silent, kind, caring, charmingly sweet, won't judge others and remains quiet, has a brave heart, prepared for any situation whether good or bad, and loyal when following orders.

_**Weaknesses:**_Shyly innocent, merciless, alone, quiet, emotionally aloof towards girls, cautious about his actions and words always, shy around girls, stoic, callous at first meeting, cannot express his feeling easily, and children.

_**Fears:**_His close friends getting hurt because of him, his loved ones dead or one of "them", that his little sisters are dead or one of "them", when he isn't prepared for anything, that his parents held a grudge towards him after he confessed, having to kill people he cares about.

_**Likes:**_Children, reading, calm and quiet places, doing work, sharpening/polishing of his sword, cats, observing people and the surroundings, new info, snow, cooking, determination and very brave people.

_**Dislikes:**_Being used by people he befriended, fighting against his close friends, judged by people, when people lie about him, and very hot weather.

_**Sexuality:**_Straight

_**What kind of person do they like (what kind would they be paired with):**_ His relationship with his lover is quiet shared silences, shy advances, blushes and stammers; his skilled swordsmanship and expansive understanding of battle underscores a near-naïveté, or perhaps innocence, that startles with its sweetness. Kazuo expresses it often through what he doesn't say, through the simple silent moments he chooses to share with others. Kazuo's spare caresses speak volumes and his brief sentences mean everything; the touch itself speaks more than a verbal confession ever could. His small quiet smile, while rare, conveys a genuine happiness and intense depth of feeling that's absolutely heartwarming. So the type of girl he'll prefer should be determined who has a brave heart and may be able to let him express his caring and loving nature but at the same time she's kind and caring and still have the guts to do something bold also someone who would notice him and can warm up to

_**Habits:**_Biting his cheeks when he feels pain and stammers when he's around the girl he likes because he never knows what to say.

_**Abilities:**_Observant, swordsmanship, fast and cooking.

_**Personal –**_

_**Favourite Colour:**_White, Blue and Red.

_**Favourite Song:**_Futariboshi acoustic arrange by Shounen T

_**Favourite Thing to Do:**_Reading, target practice, polishing/sharpening his katana and feeding cats or taking care of cats.

_**Their Idea Of A Bad Day/Event:**_Killing the people he cares about and the people he cares about are dead and he has failed to protect them.

_**Favourite Book/Movie/Game:**_

_**Book –**_The art of war, anything about swords, Leviathan, The samurai's garden.

_**Misc:**_ He extremely loves cats and his katana. Kazuo's prepared for the inevitable—examples would be having to kill the people he cares about but it depends on how close he is to these persons. He's handsome but never uses it to his advantage since he's aloof to any emotions towards girls… When he does speak, he talks in quite a formal manner- as if he was reading from a novel. He transferred to Japan with his family at the age of 13 and lived in a traditional Japanese house his father once lived in as a child.

...

_**Name:**_Takuya Lockheart

_**Nickname:**_N/A

_**Age:**_18

_**Gender:**_Male

_**Personality:**_Takuya is a smart, funny, and sweet person who everyone likes. Soccer is his passion and he hopes to go pro after college but his father James Lockheart wants him to take over the family business when he's old enough. He misses mother and little sister but is sure he will see them again.

_**Nationality: **_Japanese/American

_**Family:**_  
_**Father-**_James Lockheart, dead(infected)  
_**Mother-**_Yoshino Orimoto, alive  
_**Sister-**_Rin Lockheart, alive.  
They're alive but Takuya doesn't know.

_**Background:**_Takuya was born and raised in America but moved to Japan because of his father's business which led to his parents divorce and family's separation. His mother and little sister stayed in America while him and his father left to Japan. He gets perfect grades, captain of his school's soccer team, and has a black 2012 Escalade. Takuya is very wealthy but doesn't care for money like his father does he mostly wants to enjoy life and have fun while he still can.

_**Hair:**_He has unkept blond hair that slightly goes over his eyebrows.

_**Eyes:**_Ocean blue

_**Skin tone:**_Lightly tan

_**Early clothes:**_A white t-shirt under a black dress shirt, dark blue lightly faded jeans, black air force nikes.

_**Second clothes:**_A black sweater(the one Takashi's wears) with a white t-shirt under it , dark blue lightly faded jeans, and black air force nikes.

_**Sleeping clothes:**_White t-shirt and blue boxers.

_**Markings/Tattoos/Piercings:**_None

_**Starts with:**_Nail gun

_**Main:**_M4A1 with red dot and silencer.

_**Secondary:**_P99

_**Strengths:**_He is very fast and strong from playing soccer for so long, knows how pick locks, and drive.

_**Weaknesses:**_Zombie kids because they remind him of his little sister.

_**Fears:**_That his family is dead.

_**Likes:**_Soccer, scary movies, food, his Escalade.

_**Dislikes:**_Bullies, selfish people, school, and alcohol.

_**Sexuality:**_Straight

_**What kind of person do they like:**_Someone who cares for others and not just themselves.

_**Habits:**_Tends to run his hand through his hair when he thinks.

_**Abilities:**_Can tell when someone's lying.

_**Favorite color:**_Green

_**Favorite song:**_Here without you by 3 doors down.

_**Favorite thing to do:**_Play soccer

_**Their idea of a bad day/event:**_A zombie apocalypse

_**Favorite book/movie/game:**_Battleship Damn that was good movie.

_**Misc:**_ Comforts people when their down.

...

_**Name:**_Elliot Tinsel

_**Nickname:**_Ellie

_**Age:**_16

_**Gender:**_Female

_**Personality:**_Elliot may act tough on the outside but isn't what she seems to be. She thinks she needs to always act tough, fearless, and as if nothing bothers her. In fact, she's quite the opposite. She gets scared very easily, isn't very smart, and is still haunted by her past. Elliot also hates sleeping because when she sleeps she relives her past through nightmares. She feels she needs to act tough so no one will get close to her and feel the need to dig into her past. She is reserved and doesn't talk much to others. Before her family's murder, Elliot used to be a happy, fun-loving girl who lived each day as if it were her last. Now she is reserved, frightened by her past, and doesn't take risks.

_**Nationality:**_British

_**Family:**_

_**Grandmother:**_Elizabeth Tinsel, dead

_**Grandfather:**_Johnathan Tinsel Sr., dead

_**Father:**_Johnathan Tinsel Jr., dead

_**Mother:**_Victoria Tinsel, dead

_**Brothers (from oldest to youngest):**_Johnathan Tinsel III, Gregory Tinsel, Peter Tinsel, Nathaniel Tinsel, Nelson Tinsel, Jamie Tinsel, and Evan Tinsel (Elliot's twin brother), all dead

_**Guardian:**_Alice Wolfe, alive

_**Background:**_Born in England's countryside to a very well-off family, Elliot grew up with seven brothers. As the only girl and youngest of eight children, Elliot grew up learning to defend herself from her brother's pranks. She learned martial arts from her eldest brother, Johnathan. She caught on quickly and, seeing his daughter's talents, her father entered her in a competition. She lost but gained popularity in the world of martial arts. By the time she was 12, Elliot had already won Nationals and once participated in a competition with men older than her. Tragedy struck one night when a group of thieves broke into the family estate and murdered every occupant in the house. Elliot was only spared because the leader decided to torture her. She had to watch as they killed each and every one of her relatives and live-in workers. After beating her to near death, he branded her with his initials so she would never forget him then set the whole house on fire. After spending months in the hospital having countless of surgeries and having to get a whole new face, Elliot was sent to Japan to live with a distant relative. She then gave up martial arts and took on the piano instead (her therapist suggested it to her).

_**Description -**_

_**Hair:**_white blonde hair with a pinkish tint; straight, layered hair that reaches her mid-back and bangs pushed to the right

_**Eyes:**_blue/grey

_**Height:**_5'3", 94 lbs.

_**Skin Tone:**_creamy white

_**Other:**_small light pink lips, a small nose, and baby-faced

_**Clothing –**_

_**Early clothes:**_black sundress, white cardigan, black flats, white parasol with a rapier hidden inside of it

_**Second Clothes:**_black ruffled skirt that reaches her mid-thigh, black fitted sleeveless v-neck, an open pink hooded vest, black thigh high stockings, pink ankle boots, her parasol/rapier

_**Sleeping Clothes:**_same

_**Markings/Tattoos/Piercings:**_the initials "A.W." branded into her left bicep usually cover by a bandage wrapped around it

_**Weapons – (Max. Two)**_

_**Starts With (Temporary):**_a parasol with a rapier hidden inside of it (keeps it throughout the story)

_**Main:**_the parasol/rapier

_**Secondary:**_a silenced M9 pistol

_**Strengths:**_martial arts, a decent swordsman, great climber, flexible

_**Weaknesses:**_gets scared easily, not a fast runner, bad sense of direction

_**Fears:**_fire and people she cares about dying

_**Likes:**_classical music, playing the piano, martial arts

_**Dislikes:**_loud noises, being annoyed, any animal with fur (she has allergies)

_**Sexuality:**_Straight

_**What kind of person do they like (what kind would they be paired with):**_

_**Habits:**_turning off her hearing aid so she doesn't have to listen to others when the ramble on and on

_**Abilities:**_good with a sword

_**Personal –**_

_**Favourite Colour:**_black and white

_**Favourite Song:**_Fur Elise by Ludwig Van Beethoven

_**Favourite Thing To Do:**_play the piano

_**Their Idea Of A Bad Day/Event:**_being reminded about her past

_**Favourite Book/Movie/Game:**_The Art of War

_**Misc:**_ Elliot was born deaf in her right ear so she uses a hearing aid.

...

_**Name:**_Hanaku Kazumi

_**Nickname:**_Naku (Stage Name)

_**Age:**_19

_**Gender:**_Female

_**Personality:**_She acts like she doesn't know how to do the commoner things. Since stuff has been given to her all her life she expects stuff to, well, be given to her. She usually makes rude comments about commoners without knowing it. She can be considered ditzy. When she does have a plan she explains it with singing or dancing terms. She is usually pretty chill after a couple weeks. When she tries to get in a verbal fight she always starts it with "you think a commoner like you can..." after a few times someone will probably finish her sentence xD She is really lazy and prefers people to do things for her. She talks to people like she is the oldest person and can boss them around.

_**Nationality:**_Japanese

_**Family:**_

_**Father:**_Hanaku Hitoshi: Zombie

_**Mother:**_Hanaku Yuki : Unknown

_**Brother:**_Hanaku Hikaru: Zombie

_**Best Friend:**_Natsume Kairi (Stage name: Karry)

_**Background:**_Kazumi's mother abandoned them when Kazumi was 3. At age 15, she got the chance to be in a famous girl group of 8 called " Kuru Otome". They ended up being major hits and were really famous. She was the oldest and the best dancer of all of them. She ended up developing anxiety problems after a fan tried to stab her backstage so she doesn't like being really close to people. When the outbreak happened she was in a interview.

_**Description -**_

_**Hair:**_Strawberry blonde and waist length. It's to the side and curled. On the other side is a bow out of her own hair (Sadly.. think Lady Gaga in Pokerface). after a day the curls are all frizzy and ugly and stuff. Later she cuts bangs and fringe on her and ties the front hair to the back.

_**Eyes:**_Dark Green

_**Height:**_5" 7

_**Skin Tone:**_PALE

_**Clothing –**_

_**Early clothes:**_White fur coat with a black spaghetti strap top, light blue belt, a black leather miniskirt, and black thigh boots.

_**Second Clothes:**_Black skinny jeans that are widely ripped , a white long-sleeved button up shirt, black fingerless leather gloves, and black boots with a heel. (Which is pointless because they have to run and she refuses to take them off -_-")

_**Sleeping Clothes:**_Bra and panties.

_**Markings/Tattoos/Piercings:**_Both ears are pierced.

_**Weapons – (Max. Two)**_

_**Starts With (Temporary):**_Camera stand (the pointy part)

_**Main:**_Pistol (Their house is protected)

_**Secondary:**_Machete

_**Strengths:**_Knows how to be loud as a distraction, her star status, also knows how to shush, she is always cautious, and she's perrty xD

_**Weaknesses:**_Her anxiety problems, her brattiness may get the best of her, She refuses to abandon her very high class clothes (especially her heels )

_**Fears:**_People close to her, getting stabbed, (in the beginning) Having to live like a commoner.

_**Sexuality:**_Straight

_**What kind of person do they like (what kind would they be paired with):**_Someone kind and gives her a lot of attention. He has to be able to encourage her to do new things.

_**Habits:**_taps her nails if bored, she gets the habit off sing her recent songs.

_**Abilities:**_flexibility

_**Personal –**_

_**Favourite Colour:**_Lavender

_**Favourite Song:**_Hishoku No Sora, by Mami Kawada

_**Favourite Thing To Do:**_Dance

_**Their Idea Of A Bad Day/Event:**_Having to abandon her clothes

_**Favourite Book/Movie/Game:**_Battle Royale (Book) and she can't stand The Hunger Games.

_**Misc:**_ She's a virgin but she denies it.

...

_**Name:**_Cross Edwards

_**Nickname:**_None really, but you could find some anyway.

_**Age:**_20

_**Gender:**_Male

_**Personality:**_This boy never gives up.

He's been surviving on his own since he was little and he's been drifting for years.

He's affable and quick to make friends, strangely possesses a very good knowledge of the aquatic population of the Pacific Ocean and is prone to start rambling about an half-insane story or two he allegedly witnessed or experienced on his travels. He always flirts with the ladies, trying to charm them with a warm smile and his witty sense of humour, claiming that he has a woman waiting for him in every port and, sometimes, appearing as a bit of a pervert. He really isn't, and while his looks and sense of humour might help him charm whatever girl he comes across, he seems unable to maintain a stable relationship or even stay in the same place for more than a few weeks. He needs some help in that regard.

Nonetheless, he is very protecting of others, and women in particular: he is affected by what he himself calls a "White Knight Complex"; if a girl or a friend is in trouble, he'll risk life and limb to help them, often at the cost of his own safety.  
Although seemingly ever-smiling, Cross is not a melting pot of happiness and rainbows. In his travels and before, he's seen things that still haunt him to these days, and although he tries not to dwell on the past (or, at least, do his best to drown it in wine and women), his feelings of guilt and regret can show through from time to time, and someone who'd stick with him for long enough would surely notice his underlying sadness. Up until now, no one did, but it was by his choice.

When faced with a threat, Cross tries to ease the assailant with some light jokes, to lull them in a false sense of security: when the target lets their guard down, he strikes. If the target is not human, then he just charges at them, weapons drawn, without wasting time pointlessly talking, usually screaming and shouting and generally not being himself.

Also, it's pretty hard to startle or scare him. His reaction to the outbreak has basically been one of mild annoyance, although the pressure of an apocalypse could have some adverse effects on his psyche in the long run.

He likes to make up nicknames for everyone he meets, claiming names are too difficult to remember. Likes to sing or hum along the music coming from his earphones, and is frequently quoting lyrics of songs he likes. Very frequently.

_**Nationality:**_American

_**Family:**_

_**Father:**_ Alan Edwards, could be lying face-down in a ditch for all he cares.  
_**Mother:**_ Jenny Edwards, maybe alive, maybe not.  
_**Cousin:**_ None he knew.  
_**Best Friend:**_Used to be Alexandra "Alex" Miller, 19, currently serving a thirty-five year sentence for robbery, intent to commit felony and assault with deadly weapon, among other things.

_**Background:**_Born on a warm day of summer in a run-down hospital situated in the slums of an American metropolis. Cross was the only son of an unmarried couple that lived in a run-down apartment in one of the city's poorest neighbourhoods.

His father was a deadbeat, good-for-nothing slacker whose favourite pastime was getting fired from every working place he tried, along with getting drunk and violent. His mother wasn't much better, but at least she tried holding a job for more than a month. Since they had to pay rent and actually get a dish of anything and a bottle of water on the table, Cross was forced since a very young age to land the occasional job to increase his funds and get something to eat, forgoing school...sometimes even resorting to pickpocketing or petty thievery when he got really hungry.

But Cross was curious, and he was tired of the downtrodden life he was forced to lead. His mother's sudden disappearance from home only gave the final reason to get away from his current predicament. That's why, on a childish whim, he decided to leave the city to find happiness elsewhere. Packing up with just his old CD player, his headphones, his backpack and all the money left in the house, the boy set out on his own to brave the world and become successful.

He left the state, buying a bus ticket with some of his money and a fake ID card he stole, and started drifting the USA for more than a year. Unfortunately, things didn't really go his way. He soon found out that people don't really trust street urchins who just waltz in from nowhere, and eventually the money and the food ran out. He found himself in a west coast city, begging for some coin on the side of the road, starving and freezing, about to disappear forever in the cold embrace of the uncaring sprawl...

Luckily for him, he wasn't the only kid without a home around those parts, and Cross was found by a small gang of pickpockets, thieves and chaosmongers. They especially liked the last job description. He was convinced by the gang's leader, Alex, a charismatic but slightly cynical teenager, that kids like them had no other choice but to lead a free life, and that survival was paramount in the streets. He offered his help, a place in the group and a shelter in which to find some food and warmth. He happily accepted, thankful for the help the mysterious girl provided.

After picking his (not really) first pocket, he was officially part of the gang.

He stayed with them for the better part of four years, learning how to survive on the streets from Alex and the others, picking pockets, stealing supplies or jewelry to sell, breaking into cars, hotwiring them and then driving them, mugging passers-by, beating rival gangs into submission (or getting beaten), showing no mercy or concern for anyone other than himself and his companions, causing some mayhem in the town and generally trying to get by.

Cross found himself liking the free lifestyle he was leading. He came to see the other members as the brothers he never had, and they constantly watched each other's back, but he was especially devoted to Alex, for saving his life four years prior. He would put his life on the line to ensure that she came to no harm.

But it was not an easy life, and things had gone worse more than once. By the time of his fourth year with them, Cross had seen five of his friends get arrested, killed or too injured or frightened to continue their lifestyle. He had to say goodbye forever more times than he liked, and he sometimes felt at fault for it.

Alex, having become mature enough to notice that they couldn't sustain their style of life anymore, decided that they had to get away from the streets to protect the remaining members of the small gang. Cross agreed, as he was tired of watching his only friends get hurt or worse, and wanted to turn his life around and get on the straight and narrow. Alex decided to partake in a bank robbery with two older accomplices, hoping to get enough money to provide the other two boys with lodging and a stable work.  
But the robbery was a complete failure.

The police was on them in no time, and Alex barely managed to escape with her skin intact and only a bit of money in her pockets. Her two accomplices were never found. She returned to their hideout and prepared to get away, boarding a fishing vessel that was departing for a run of the Pacific, reaching the Fiji islands and then returning to America, enough time to let the commotion die down. Cross decided to go with her, to keep her company in her time of need.

At the dock, though, they were ambushed by the still-pursuing police forces. Alex decided to stay behind to cover her friend's escape, knowing that the police was only after her and not wanting Cross to be arrested for helping her escape. Reluctantly, Cross had to see the girl he valued the most in his life be deprived of her freedom, barely managing to whisper her something before being whisked away by the ship's captain. Her smile was enough for him to know how she felt.

With no money and no better options, Cross started working on the fairly big fishing vessel, trying his best to forget the former life he had and all he had lost to it. He started working as a sailor, and for more than four years he roamed the Pacific and the seas of West Asia, living for the moment and conquering the hearts of women everywhere with his tall sailor tales of hardship and courage (that surprisingly still worked in modern times) and a few glasses of the worst booze the house had to offer.

His work was hard, but as long as he was travelling around these places he came to appreciate so much, he didn't really mind. On his travels, he learnt many things on the population of the Pacific area, and even learned to hold a conversation in some languages, like Tagalog and Japanese, all by talking endlessly with the locals. He never grew tired of it.

The day before the outbreak, he had the strange misfortune of disembarking in a small port of Japan. He wanted no more than getting a little rest from the constant travelling and planned to sleep for two days straight.

But his awakening was rude, and the days ahead of him would be the farthest thing from a peaceful rest...  
_**Description -**_

_**Hair:**_Dirty blonde, long and unkempt, almost reaching his shoulders, most of the time hidden under his tuque, a few bangs showing through.

_**Eyes:**_Dark blue.

_**Height:**_185 cm

_**Skin Tone:**_Lightly tanned.

_**Clothing –**_  
_**Early clothes:**_A ragged black long-sleeved t-shirt under a pocket-heavy, dusty brown trench coat, a tuque on his head, long denim trousers and grey shoes. Never parts with his black-and-white backpack and black earphones (and mp3 player).

_**Second Clothes:**_.Same as above.

_**Sleeping Clothes:**_Stays only with his trenchcoat and pants on.

_**Markings/Tattoos/Piercings:**_Has both his ears pierced, although he's only got a round ring on the left earlobe, while the right has a line of ivory and iron earrings from lobe to helix

_**Weapons – (Max. Two)**_  
_**Starts With (Temporary):**_ A baseball bat he finds lying around in the motel he's staying in.  
_**Main:**_ A double-barreled break-open sawn-off shotgun ; looted, along with a healthy dose of ammo, from an unlucky gun aficionado that got chewed alive  
_**Secondary:**_The aforementioned baseball bat. Very useful for skull-caving and surprisingly durable.

_**Strengths:**_He has a strong will to live and more luck than the average man, backing down from no fight and generally surviving improbable odds. He also absolutely refuses to watch anyone close to him get hurt. He's a good melee fighter, and although he isn't an expert marksman, he knows the basics of gunfighting and isn't afraid to use a weapon.

_**Weaknesses:**_He's too reckless. Generally acts before thinking, and he's prone to making rash decisions, especially when put under pressure, or if someone's in danger. He is new to the city, so he counts on others to guide him. He does know how to shoot a gun, but his range is very limited (both because of skill and choice of weapon), forcing him to get up close and personal to his chosen target, putting himself in even more danger.

_**Fears:**_Seeing someone he cares about come to harm.

_**Likes:**_ Music, travelling, flirting, talking (a lot), fish and witty girls.  
_**Dislikes:**_Staying in one place for too long, forming permanent bonds, talking backwards

_**Sexuality:**_Straight

_**What kind of person do they like (what kind would they be paired with):**_Flirts with almost anyone, but has never been in a stable relationship. So, a girl that could convince him to stop wandering.

_**Habits:**_ Waxing lyrical. He can't stop quoting lyrics of songs he likes, and most of the time sings or hums while he fights.  
_**Abilities:**_ Lockpicking, Pickpocketing, fishing, driving, flirting (is that a skill?)  
_**Personal – **_  
_**Favourite Colour:**_ Cobalt blue.  
_**Favourite Song:**_ Has many favourite songs, but the one he cherishes the most is David Bowie's Heroes (especially the 6-minutes-long original version).  
When he's about to do something reckless, though, he always has 65daysofstatic's "Aren't we all running?" blaring in his earphones at full volume, giving him the adrenaline rush he needs.

_**Favourite Thing To Do:**_ Travelling. He's been wandering for years, and has no intention of really stopping.  
_**Their Idea Of A Bad Day/Event:**_ Losing all his hard-earned money at a dice game, then being thrown out for excessive drinking, being successively robbed of his clothes and then having to drunkenly stumble naked back to his ship.  
_**Favourite Book/Movie/Game:**_ His favourite book is "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho, the book that convinced him to leave his home when he was little and follow his "Personal Legend"  
_**Misc: **_

...

_**Name:**_Thomas Commandan

_**Nickname:**_Tom or Snipes

_**Age:**_17

_**Gender:**_Male

_**Personality:**_Tom is a somewhat quiet kid if you don't know him. He was always a helpful and caring person when younger and asked people if they needed help or anything of the sort. Later on, after he turned 12, he became a little less of that and sort of pulled back from everyone. Only some people know why this happened. He still cared about his family and friends a lot and acted the same with them, but with others he was less trusting and wouldn't really talk. When someone talks badly about people who helped him a lot or cared for him he will get visibly angry through the clenching of his jaw and fists and looking down or having an angry look on his face. Of he keeps getting provoked he will eventually lash out in words at first and maybe hit they guy but will never hit a girl unless they are trying to kill him or if they're on of "them" (of course xD). He keeps a calm head and can lead people very well especially under tense situations. Can be laid back/ lazy at times. Likes to play little practical jokes on friends to lighten the mood when its appropriate. Can also be sarcastic. Will get mad at people when they make very stupid decisions when they aren't thinking about it. You have to earn his trust since he doesn't trust in people so easily anymore, but you will know when he trusts you.

_**Nationality:**_American with a bit of Irish. (has a very slight Irish accent)

_**Family:**_

_**Father:**_Jonathan Cammandan, unknown (Left Tom and his mother when Tom was 12 and gave him what he thought he "deserved")

_**Mother:**_Caroline Commandan, dead

_**Best Friend:**_Casey Glounted, unknown and hopefully alive (considers him his brother)

_**Background:**_His father had lived in the US all his life and his mother had immigrated from Ireland. Tom had a pretty average life for an only child. But that all changed when he was 12. Soon after his birthday his father decided he would show his son what he thought of him. He took him and put a long cut from his right shoulder blade down and across until it ended on his left side just a little behind the kidney. It left a deep scar that will never disappear. His father then fled and was never seen or heard from again. His mother, after finding her son in the living room bleeding out took him to the hospital and got him healthy. After learning of what happened, she decided that after middle school they would go to Japan and live there, far away from where his dad could possibly hurt him again. But before that happened, his best friend, Casey, had become an orphan because his parents died in a car crash and considering how close they were Tom's mother adopted Casey. Casey also eloped with talking to Tom about what happened. They were both Eagle Scouts and know a lot about nature/ outdoors in general. Tom learned of his skill with archery. During high school their freshman year in Japan, they learned of a archer tournament in school. Casey and Tom's mom bought him a black metal compound bow with yellow firing string and a black quiver of arrows. He won the whole tournament an the kids from school called him Snipes because he was like a sniper with how precise he was at shooting. He also joined track and was one of the fastest runners and could run a short or long distance event very fast. Otherwise, he was just a normal kid in highschool. At 16, Tom's mother died but he and Casey each got a job and are able to get buy.

_**Description -**_

_**Hair:**_Dark brown with it lighter in the front. Cut in like a buzz cut sort of form but a bit longer.

_**Eyes:**_Light blue eyes, but the more tense he gets, the lighter his eyes will get until they appear whit except for the irises.

_**Height:**_About 6'1"

_**Skin Tone:**_Fair but a bit tanned.

_**Clothing –**_

_**Early clothes:**_Black and blue horizontal striped polo shirt, dark grey cargo shorts, black and yellow running shoes and a silver chain with a small medallion on it from his mother and another, smaller medallion from his grandmother. He converted a single strap (across the chest) backpack to hold his quiver with it popping out also and holds the bare essentials in it.

_**Second Clothes:**_A black unzipped light hoodie with 3 yellow stripes starting on each shoulder and run down on each sleeve, a black underarmour tight long sleeved shirt with red trim, a black leather fingerless glove on his right hand, dark blue jeans, black boots with a brown sole and a small flame design on the bottom and the chain with 2 medallions. His modified backpack.

_**Sleeping Clothes:**_Grey sweatpants and a black short sleeved shirt.

_**Markings/Tattoos/Piercings:**_A scar from his right shoulder blade going down and across his back and curving to just behind his left kidney.

_**Weapons – (Max. Two)**_

_**Starts With (Keeps as a melee weapon):**_A tomahawk from Casey (and the bow and arrows listed in the secondary weapons).

_**Main:**_Barret 50 cal. sniper it has 2 straps and he wears it over his modified backpack. He's righty and fires with his right hand.

_**Secondary:**_Black metal compound bow with yellow firing string and black quiver with arrows (quiver is in the modified backpack) it is able to be folded up into a much smaller and compact form and he can put it in the backpack but where it's more readily accessible if needed.

_**Strengths:**_Good at leading, very accurate with eyesight and weapons, nature/outdoors, running, and a bit of a pyro (likes to have a zippo lighter on his person at all times) and can start a fire easily, can think well and fast on his feet.

_**Weaknesses:**_Not opening up (cuz he'll keep things bottled up and might snap at someone which might hurt feelings), his asthma can sporadically pop up and he will not be able to catch his breath but he'll still keep going but could potentially pass out if he doesn't take a break, talking about what happened with him and his father.

_**Fears:**_His asthma appearing at the wrong time, not being able to help the group/friends, someone asking about his scar and having to tell them what happened, turning into one of "them"

_**Likes:**_Dogs, people, reading, the color orange, candy, friends, archery, sleeping, listening to music, playing with fire.

_**Dislikes:**_People who use him/others, being helpless, letting someone down, drawing, his father, "them"

_**Sexuality:**_Straight

_**What kind of person do they like (what kind would they be paired with):**_Someone kind and able to calm him down if he might snap. They can also lift his spirits if he's down, and enjoys his company. Will be there to comfort him if he needs and talk to him about anything that's bothering them. Somewhat straightforward on some issues but knows to not approach some right away. Will give him time to talk.

_**Habits:**_Cracking his fingers/ankles/neck out of boredom or worry. Popping his left shoulder out of its socket to freak people out r in boredom.

_**Abilities:**_Pinpoint accuracy, double jointed joints, can dislocate left shoulder, knows a lot about nature.

_**Personal –**_

_**Favourite Color:**_Orange

_**Favourite Song:**_Satellite, by Rise Against

_**Favourite Thing To Do:**_Run, Read or sleep or hang out with friends.

_**Their Idea Of A Bad Day/Event:**_Being the centre of attention for some stupid reason and not being able to get out of it.

_**Favourite Book/Movie/Game:**_The Bourne Series- just really enjoys it and finds it interesting.

_**Misc:**_ When stressed out he'd take a run or read or sleep and just clear his mind

...

_**Name:**_ Phil Angelo

_**Nickname:** _Angel (781 Codename), The Wanderer (Nickname the street thugs he hunts gave him)

_**Age:**_ 18

_**Gender:**_ Male

_**Personality:**_ Phil is a very selfless person, willing to put his life on the line for others. Part of this is due to the fact that Phil has had to live with the deaths of his parents and his girlfriend (Lane), whom he was closer to than anyone. He doesn't want to see anyone else have to suffer the things that he has had to. He has a moral obligation to try to save anyone who is in danger and will blame himself should he fail. However he won't be saddened by deaths, he will just use them as even more motivation for him to protect others. Even though sad things have happened to him and he carries moral obligations, he is still a very positive person. He believes in not living in fear and facing problems head on. Phil has no problem even killing another human if they threaten others, because he has been cleaning up the streets where lives for long before z-day even happened. Phil always has a confident grin or smile on his face, always finding ways to get a chuckle or smile out of others with his witty, sarcastic sense of humor. Phil thinks very strategically, always having a back-up plan. Phil is a competent leader, but he prefers more of a second in command gig in case he has to run off for a bit to save someone. Phil's actions have a way of inspiring others. Phil would do anything to help Lane, except risk other lives. He trusts and loves her very much. Phil picks the people he trusts very carefully, and is good at picking up on lies. Phil is a good listener and has good advice for people. He while cautious in his actions, Phil is uncomfortable sitting in one place for too long.

_**Nationality:**_ United States (Ethnicity Italian/German)

_**Family:**_Helen Angelo (Mother, deceased at 27, died concieving Phil)  
Martin Angelo (Father, deceased at 28, suicide shortly after Helen's death)

_**Best Friend:**_ Lane Easton. Phil's dead girlfriend is always present with Phil to keep him company, be there to comfort him, help him make tough choices, ect. They were in a almost three year relationship when Lane died. Not many other people can see Lane, but Phil always sees her. Phil truely loves Lane even after her death and is happy she is always there.

_**Background:**_ (This is his history from my story up until z-day. My story hasn't hit z-day yet. Includes other OCs) Phil gre up at the public city orphanage since his parents didn't leave behind much. Phil was a smart and fairly obidiant young boy. However, whenever someone needed help in a fight with a bully, Phil would jump in. Towards his teenage years Phil became simultanously one that someone would put both on their short lists of best students and people not to mess with. While Phil did have a good amount of 'friends', he felt they were only his friends for protection from bullying and rather for his kind, gentle and friendly personality. Phil was very tall for his age, being a gentle gaint around those he liked but knowing when to get serious in the face of trouble. It was around this time that Phil met Sora Tsukishiro and her younger friend Layla Witherspoon. While both of them became close friends with Phil, Phil's best friend would have to be Sora. Sora, being a scrappy tomboy, was always by Phil's side whether it be the classroom or in fights. The two shared many great moments together along with their friend Layla until the summer before high school started Sora was adopted. Phil and Sora kept in touch, but weren't able to be around each other as much before. It was around this time that Phil realized that the orphanage wasn't putting him up for adoption because they were counting on him to sort out all of their problems. Realizing he needed to start his own life, Phil left the orphnage to find his own path after training Layla in how to fight in order to take his place. Phil found and rented a smaller apartment in the city outskirts, but quickly ran into trouble making ends meet with the jobs he could find. Then Cooper, a newly appointed Police commander in charge of assemling a specialized police group, came upon Phil fighting of a dozen thugs older then him all by himself on day. After witnessing Phil's abilities, Cooper gave Phil a unique offer. Phil would continue to go to school as a student athlete during the school year, but at night he would be trained in what it took to become an undercover agent. Phil was thus part of the beginnings of Police Group 781, a specialized unit that would use highly trained teenage operatives to infiltrate and become a part of urban gangs that plagued the city in order to impart acts of espionage, sabatoge and assasination. Members were either voulntarily taken into the unit, such as Phil, or were juvinile criminals convicted of violent crimes striving for redemption for their crimes. By the beginning of high school Phil was trained in kickboxing, krav maga (throw based disarming defensive combat) and was porficient with arms from pistols, to submachine guns and even assult rifles. Phil prefered the mp5ksd submachine gun so he could keep his mobility. Phil took part in many missions, eventually becoming a group commander. Members of his group included Rikio Hiroshi, Alistar Blackwood and Saya Korugashi whom he became good friends with outside of the unit. However the four firends figured out that the group was being curropted by violent power hungry young operatives and Cooper was really doing experiments with gene mutation in order to get his arm back and create what he called a perfect utopia. Phil and his four close friends destroyed Coopers hidden lab and set back his research. While there they incountered a captive and nameless girl who had been abused by her parents so much that she killed them and then was taken advantage of by Cooper for his experiments. Phil rescued the girl, giving her the name Maris Angelo, and allowing her to live with him for a while. The two had a father daughter style relationship and Maris eventually became a police contractor much like Phil to find her way. A half a year later Phil is going to visit his parents grave when he hears a scream in the otherwise silent night. After defeating a stronger drug addicted thug named Casper Tapely, Phil fought side by side with a girl named Lane Easton who was a nationally ranked fencer. Nearing defeat at the combined strength of the two, a thug throws a knife at Lane. Phil, selflessly sacrifices his body in order to defend Lane, being badly wounded by the injury. Lane, with a little help from Rikio, is able to get Phil to the hospital in time to mend his wounds. From there Lane and Phil become good friends and eventually lovers. Phil finds in Lane someone who likes him because of who he is not what he is doing for someone. Simultanoulsy Lane, coming from a lot of money, finds someone who loves and cares about her and not about her families money. After much persuading Lane moves in with Phil and their romance burns at a new high. Using Lane's family money they travel the world together and greatly enjoy eachothers company. Since Lane was an adventurous girl, the two would hike and camp to unique off the beaten track places, including one beach on the US Virgin Island St John that holds a special in both their hearts. Lane taught Phil how to fence and Phil taught Lane martial arts and how to use throwing knives. Phil soon became an extrodinarily good fencer, becoming one of the best in the country in his age group right alongside Lane. Dual weilding fencing sabers also became Phil's primary fighting style in combat It's around this time that Sora's family moves close to Phil again. As Sora hangs more with Phil, Lane pulls Sora aside for a important chat. Sora admits to now be harboring feelings of love for Phil, but respects Phil and Lane's relationship. Lane has Sora promise to be there for Phil should anything happen to her, a promise that Sora thought she would never have to fufill. Two and half years before z-day Cooper had succesfully reconstructed his virus research and began a larger operation to test his new virus through the mass kidnappings of teens. Phil along with Maris from the shadows, Sora and Layla, his former 781 teamates and new friends such as Rexen Tsuinko were able to begin to turn the tide against Cooper's operation. With only a few teens accepting the virus and brainwashing to gain superhuman abilities, Cooper was forced to confront his nemisis Phil in person. Utilizing a variation of the virus, Cooper miscalculated and turned himself into a horrific monster. While Phil's friends raided Coopers warehouse laberatory and saved the teens, Phil defeated the mutated Cooper with the help of a Saeko Busujima, who was in the city for an international kendo tournament. With Cooper finally gone Phil, Lane, Sora and the rest of their friends lived happy and normal high school lives. Phil remained in his relationship with Lane. He ran cross country, played tennis, was the captian of the fencing team and vice captian of the disciplinary commitee. Suddenly Lane died, appartently hit by a car. Phil was torn apart emmotionally by the death of his lover for three years, spending hours by her grave with Sora by his side. Lane left Phil a final note, telling him to take her swords and fufill both their dreams. After a few days Lane started appearing before Phil again as more then just a ghost. Lane could still communicate with Phil because their bond was so strong it even transcended death. Even though Phil was the only one who could see Lane in this state, he was happy that she would always be with him, right at his side. She appeared in all his dreams to help comfort him and ease his mind. Also from time to time Lane would appear before Phil when he was bored or there was something urgent he needed to know. Being able to still be with the now angel Lane, Phil's spirits picked up again. Sora started hanging with Phil more and eventually they got into a romantic relationship, after Phil got approval from Lane of course. How Phil wound up in your story, thats up to your imagination, but remember Phil still works as a undercover ploice agent and has the connection to get anywhere fairly quickly.

_**Description -**_

_**Hair:**_ dark brown hair, short-medium length, curly

_**Eyes:**_ dark brown

_**Height:**_ 6'4"

_**Skin Tone:**_ dark olive brown tan

_**Other:**_ 190 lbs, when he is with Lane his eyes will sometimes glisten a golden color, he is quite flexible and has a high resistence to sprains and breaks, very strong legs, overal very well in shape with lean muscle and low fat.

_**Clothing –**_

_**Early clothes:**_ Fencing jacket (tough enough to stop bladed objects or zombie teeth without compromising much manuverability), dark blue jeans, custom belt with saber holsters sown in, two saber holster's with Phil's fancing sabers in them, purple and white striped polo shirt under his jacket (keepin it classy), blue asics distance running trainer shoes, oakley jawbone sport sunglasses (outside of combat), fencing helmit with neck guard (in-combat, outside of combat wears it like a hood), bike gloves

_**Second Clothes:**_ Keeps a similiar outfit, shirt under jacket may change along with jeans, when he aquires his mp5ksd submachinegun he picks up a sling strap to carry the gun on his back and a bandolier that straps in additional clips for his weapon

_**Sleeping Clothes:**_ a synthetic shirt and basketball shorts

_**Markings/Tattoos/Piercings:**_ larger stiched scar on his chest from the night he met/saved Lane, smaller scars all over body from fencing and combat experiance

_**Weapons – (Max. Two)**_

_**Starts With (Temporary):**_ Phil wields two fencing swords, one his own and one Lane's. The are both identical swords with different color schemes. Lane's blade is tinted red and is named Devotion. Phils blade is colored dark blue amd is named Pride. Both are heavy for 1 handed sabers, have thicker sharpened blades for saber style fencing which incorporates stabs and slices. They are made from satinless steel and carbon, so they are sharp and almost impossible to break. The have no give unlike beginer foil sabers, these are the real deal. Absolutly deadly in the right hands. Phil carries them on his day to day person because he believes it helps him communicate with Lane

_**Main:**_ He keeps Pride and Devotion as his meelee and close/mid range weapon

_**Secondary**_ (used more like a second primary or in conjunction with his saber): mp5ksd suppressed submachinegun. A compact, ergonomic version of Hecker and Koshs legendary smg. Shoots 9mm at about 900 rpm. 30 round magazines and select fire switch. The pros of the gun are its efficient light weight, compact design and accuracy. However since it is chambered in 9mm, it may take an extra shot or to to completely drop a zed. However, Phil uses his ammo prudently and effiecently. He like to shoot zeds in the legs, particular the knee or ankle, to hamper the zeds speed. This allows Phil to disable zeds so either his teamates can handle them easier or he can close on them to finish thm with his sabers.

_**Strengths:**_ Swordsmenship, battle tactics, hardiness (can survive a long time with out supplies), resourceful, agile, above average dexterity

_**Weaknesses:**_ None of hs weapons are very long range, will do anything to save someone even if it has risks

_**Fears:**_ hates big dogs, like any rational person he fears losing those he cares about, is caustarphobic and has a fear of getting his big frame stuck in a tight space. However, Phil will overcome those fears for those he likes

_**Likes:**_ Fencing, tennis, running, anime, pro sports, visions of Lane, time spent with Sora, his other friends, italian food, a wide range of music from metal to rock to techno to rap, lemonade/pineapple soda.

_**Dislikes:**_ Large dogs, chocalate, bitter or spicy foods, bullying, zombies, lose of innocent life, Cooper

_**Sexuality:**_ Straight

_**What kind of person do they like (what kind would they be paired with):**_ Phil likes strong, independent women who can stand by his side in combat without him needing to babysit them. He likes girls who have good personalities and also appritiates good looks. Phil likes girls he feels that he can have open, honest talks about eachothers emotions and feelings with. Phil likes girls near his height but will accept a short girl should she fufill the other qualities he likes.

_**Habits:**_ Tends to check over things multiple times to make sure they are right, taps his leg when sitting still or long periods. He also likes to chew gum on occasion to help stay awake

_**Abilities:**_ Phil is highly trained in a wide variety of weapons. He is best with sword, especially lightweight sabers for stabbing, slicing and parrying. Phil has a specialized moveset with his sabers:

Slash Parry: Counter a swinging meele with a swing of one saber, leaving the other saber to attack limbs or main body of parried foe.

Daredevil parry: Counter a stab. Slightly pushes the oncoming blade away for a near miss. Phil then uses the foes foreward momentum to deliver a massive hit with each saber.

Precision stab: A normal one sword main hand stab with a wrist hook at the end. Can hit someone behind something/someone you dont want to hurt. Also can hit around shields and armour in some cases.

Strike raid: dash followed up with quick stabs and slashes. combos into the rest of moveset. closes distance between enemies.

Neck stab decapatation finisher: Both sabers stabbed through the neck, then slice each out in different directions decapitating the enemy.

eclipse circle (from we must survive oc story): Phil's ultimate technique learnt from Lane. Great for taking one groups of undead on his own. Phil concentrates all of his energies and then dashes between enemies delivering 9 stabs/slashes to the zombies heads. On the 10th zombie Phil stabs through its chest with both swords ad then tears it in half by slicing his swords out. After this attack Phil is drained and can't attack again for 20 seconds. Only used in emergencies.

Phil is also talented with larger meele weapons as well. Additioanlly Phil can use fairly difficult to master firearms such as submachine guns and pistols easily. The submachine gun is the firarm Phil is most skilled with.

_**Personal –**_

_**Favourite Colour:**_ Forest Green

_**Favourite Song:**_ (Phil and Lane's Theme Music) Broken by Seether

_**Favourite Thing To Do:**_ Fence, talk to/spend time with Lane (in her ghost/angel form), spend time with friends, eat good italian food.

_**Their Idea Of A Bad Day/Event:**_ A day when Lane doesn't appear beside him or when someone Phil cares about is hurt.

_**Favourite Book/Movie/Game:**_ Phil enjoys street fighter, dead space and call of duty.

...

_**Name:**_Grigori

_**Animal:**_Dog

_**Breed:**_German Sheppard

_**Description:**_Grigori looks like your average German Sheppard, but is a little bigger when it comes to size. His weight is normal, maybe just a little heavy for someone to lift him. Has a black collar with a nametag that has "グリゴリ" written on it.

_**Personality/Habits:**_Is a very loyal dog that never leaves his master's side, and will often spend time with the kindest or most ambitious members of the group. Grigori tends to get snappy and growls at people that yell or give off a dangerous feel. He sleeps on a bed or right next to someone, often acting as a big cuddly bear or the roomie who takes all the space. He doesn't bark unless provoked or "communicating" with the group, and generally scouts around with or without anyone to look out for anything. Very in tune to people's emotions, and sometimes acts out their emotions himself.

_**Generally Likes:**_ Kind people, running, wide open spaces, food (specifically meat)

_**Generally**_ **_Dislikes:_**People who yell, "them", not getting rest

* * *

**The characters will be split into two groups, and will all be introduced at different times. I hope everyone enjoys the chapters that follow and that the site won't delete this again -.-**

**And, yeah, I gave the dog a profile...**

**~Miki**


	2. 1: Coffee, Anyone?

**Behold! I have reposted Instinct! And I've redone the first chapter so everyone can see an alternate ending to it (I wasn't happy with where I'd left it, and I'd rather go in a different POV than Yomi's toward the end). I hope everyone enjoys and that Instinct doesn't get deleted (AGAIN!).**

**Sorry that this chapter is short – I kind didn't know where to go without starting the zombie-bashing right off the bat.**

***Mario voice* Here we go~!**

**~Miki**

* * *

Yomi kicked up her sheets ecstatically, smiling at the sunshine flooding through her window. It was certainly a beautiful day today – a day that even the lazy and strange Aria should witness.

She jumped out of bed and dressed herself in some old clothes, which consisted of a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, and then left her room with a skip in her step. The smell of breakfast being cooked downstairs reached her nose as she turned for the stairs leading to Aria's room, causing her to come to a halt. She stood still for a few seconds, an extremely thoughtful look on her face.

_Wake up Carrot, or eat?_ she wondered to herself. She shrugged, smiling a little. She'd already made the decision to wake the sleeping girl, so why not go through with it? Yomi nodded confidently, then approached the door to Aria's room. She opened it silently and snuck inside.

"Good morning," she announced loud and cheerfully. Aria groaned and rolled over toward the window next to her bed. Some of her orange hair spilled out from under the blanket.

Yomi let out a huff. "Come on, get up," she urged, her tone determined. "It's a beautiful day outside."

Aria's legs, while just barely visible under the blanket's outlines, curled closer to her body. "Meh," she groaned quickly. Yomi frowned.

"Don't you 'meh' me, Carr–"

"Meeeeeeeeeeeeh," she repeated, drawing out the word and sounding like a sheep. She even included the bleating sound the wool-covered mammals made.

Yomi rolled her eyes, smiling again. "Fine," she sighed. "It's going to be a depressing day today. Want to come outside and run around in the rain?"

This time Aria made an effort to move in response. It was too bad that the response was a hand poking out of the blanket and waving dismissively. Yomi shrugged. If Aria wanted to sleep in, who was she to stop her?

With a final smile, Yomi closed the door behind her as she left, passing her father on the way down the stairs.

"Morning, Papa," she greeted, speeding past him with her attention on the food cooking in the kitchen. She could almost smell it perfectly – bacon sizzling deliciously on a hot frying pan.

_Yummers_, she thought, her train of thought becoming almost childish.

She sped for the kitchen, spotting her mother at the stove with a spatula in her hands. Yomi immediately sat at the table and rubbed her hands together eagerly. Junko Suzumiya always managed to make the best bacon – she knew just how to cook it to perfection, leave as little burnt spots as possible.

"Morning, baby," Junko said, lifting some bacon from the pan and setting it on a plate; a plate with a generous amount of scrambled eggs piled onto it. Junko picked up the plate and approached the table, setting down the dish in front of her daughter. Yomi licked her lips and dug in, thanking her mother gleefully before doing so.

She was finished within five minutes, her empty stomach now full of food. She picked up her plate, stood, placed it on the bench top in the kitchen, and then left the room with a skip in her step. What to do today, she wondered. She'd already told herself she wanted to enjoy the weather.

_Maybe I'll go out for a walk_, she thought, arriving in her bedroom. _Although, the weather won't be cold enough for a shirt this thick..._

With a confident nod to no one, she closed the door to her room and strolled over to the dresser, opening a drawer and pulling out a spaghetti string tank top. She switched the blue shirt for the black one, then moved on to another drawer. She carelessly tossed her other shirt onto her bed as she opened the drawer on the bottom. Yomi pulled out a white cardigan and pulled it on, doing up all of the buttons as she made her way to her shoes. She figured her black Converses would be fine to wear for a short walk, and so she put them on and tied the laces in double-knots.

Yomi left her room, knowing full well that she still had to brush her hair and teeth, and skipped along toward the bathroom. She dared a peek at Aria's door, noticing it was partially open.

_She must've smelt breakfast_, Yomi guessed. The bathroom door was right in front of her when she looked away from her friend's door, slightly open and no one inside. Yomi opened it further and walked toward the mirror that hung along the wall, the size of it reflecting more than half of her that stood before it. She reached for a brush and combed her tangled hair, leaving the corkscrew curls at the bottom untouched, and then reached for her red Alice headband.

Once she was pleased with her appearance, she skipped out of the room and headed for the front door.

"Mama, Papa," she called, "I'm going for a walk!"

"Have fun, baby," Junko called back.

At that, Yomi left her house.

* * *

As his fiancé wrapped her arm around his, Yuu felt like he was on top of the world. He'd proposed just the night before, and now he and Ruka were engaged to be married. He just couldn't believe he'd landed someone as nice and wonderful as her.

They turned a corner, Ruka's dog, Grigori, leading the way confidently and fully alert. Their walk had just started five minutes before, and both Yuu and Ruka were completely content with just strolling around.

"Hey, Yuu," Ruka muttered, "should we stop at a café for a coffee?"

Yuu considered it, and shrugged in response. "I could go for coffee," he replied.

They continued on their path and soon walked beside a tree-filled park, spotting a young teen sitting by herself at a bench. Grigori went on high alert, but quickly calmed once her scent blew over towards them.

Another teen called out to the one seated, her name pronounced at two different words: "Yo-_mi_!"

Both Ruka and Yuu watched the approaching teen, her strangely carrot-coloured hair swaying left and right in her high ponytail as she ran as fast as she could to the seated teen between them. She began to slow once the dark-haired girl was close enough to talk to, and then flopped onto the bench beside the girl. As they began their conversation, the couple and their dog slowly strolled by.

The orange-haired girl paused her conversation to watch Grigori with adoring eyes, the German Sheppard returning her gaze as he and his owners passed them by. The other girl giggled to herself, tapping her friend's arm as a teasing gesture.

"You have an unnatural connection to canines," she noted, speaking loud enough for the couple to hear. "I wouldn't be shocked if wolves took you in and cared for you, should you get lost in the wilderness."

Her friend gave her a scrutinous glare. "What do you mean, 'should'?" she demanded.

The rest of the conversation was too far away to be heard, and Yuu felt himself smile just a little. He could vaguely remember when he was their age – it was when he'd met Ruka, gotten to know her and became one of her best friends.

"I think Grigori likes them," Ruka said out of the blue, smiling as releasing a small yawn. "He didn't watch them and growl when we walked past."

"Hm," Yuu hummed in agreement.

A few more moments of walking passed, the distance they covered becoming greater and greater. It wasn't until they were close to their destination that Grigori began to release a low growl.

Ruka's green-eyed gaze landed on her trusty canine. "What's wrong, Grigori?" she asked, a little bit of worry in her tone. Yuu narrowed his eyes; what could make Grigori start growling, before it had even reached their vision?

Another set of footsteps caught their attention, approaching from the direction of Grigori's aimed growls. A distant figure appeared in their vision, and soon enough they could make out the shape of a child walking down the street, a small limp in their step.

"What the…?" Yuu wondered aloud. "Why would he growl at a kid?"

Ruka merely shook her head with a frown and stopped walking entirely, bringing Yuu and Grigori to a stop with her. She watched the child limp closer and closer to them, and it was only now that Yuu noticed the absence of people out in the streets. While his mind wandered to why there was no one else outside, Ruka released him and ran for the child.

"Yuu, she's bleeding!" she shrieked, her entire focus on the small child. The kid continued to limp toward them, but seemed to be reaching out to Ruka as she raised her hands. His fiancé lifted the child off of the ground, the blood trailing down her leg evident and appearing like a fresh coat of crimson paint.

"Don't worry, sweetie," Ruka cooed. "We'll get you to a hospital."

Grigori moved away from his growls at that moment, switching to an enraged bark. The child was unfazed, attention entirely on Ruka. What the kid did next shocked and sickened Yuu to the core.

Her hands clamped Ruka's head in a vice grip, her jaw opened wide to reveal blood-stained teeth. Before either adult could do a thing, the child sank her teeth into Ruka's head, right where her ear was located.

Ruka screamed in pain and terror.

Yuu shouted out for her, rushing to her side.

Grigori was free from Yuu's grip on his leash, and continued to bark rabidly at the three before him.

Yuu finally managed to pry the child off of his fiancé, angrily throwing her to the ground in a rush of adrenalin. He turned to Ruka, panicked, and tried to examine her injury. Ruka whimpered in pain for a few seconds, only to stop and fall to her knees just moments after she'd lowered her hands from her ear. Yuu watched her in concern, kneeling down to see what was wrong.

"Ruka, don't worry," he told her. "You'll be all right, okay?"

She didn't respond with words; instead, she turned to him with glassy eyes and grasped his arm tightly. Confusion washed over him, and it was soon replaced by regret when Ruka opened her mouth wide and chomped hard into his forearm.

Grigori gave up on barking at them as soon as Yuu cried out. The dog turned around and ran back the way they'd came.

All Yuu could do was hope that Grigori alerted the teens they'd passed just moments before.

* * *

**Yay! I finished the intro chapter!**

**Nuu! It was short as hell!**

**I will update ASAP, but I really need to catch up on my other HOTD fics (especially Inhuman Humans -3-).**

**See you people next chappie~!**

**~Miki**


	3. 2: Taking Chances

"_Hey there, buddy_," Shin's voice came through. Kazuo rolled his eyes and continued to listen to the message, wondering what his humourous friend was calling him for. "_I'm, ah, not going to make it today... Something's come up and, ah... Well, long story short: Zombie apocalypse._" The line went dead and Kazuo was left standing there with a phone to his ear, a complete expression of being dumbfounded written on his face.

"What the hell?" he whispered, putting the phone back in his pocket. Surely it was a joke - a pretty bad one, at that. Kazuo shook his head and continued walking, hoping to get a cup of coffee before the morning was over.

The streets were pretty much full of people - a complete one-eighty from the devoid state it was in just an hour ago - and Kazuo was unsure of whether or not he should make a call to his parents to let him know he'd be out for a while. For all her knew, Cherry was freaking out and demanding his location from the twins. Maybe he should've left a note when he went out...

He arrived at the coffee shop just a few moments after getting Shin's message. He wasn't sure what he wanted yet, whether he got coffee or an espresso. So as he stood in line he let his mind wander, trying to find something in the room that would help him decide what he wanted. Kazuo's eyes landed on the television, and on it he saw an early morning news report hosted by none other than Haruko Inuzuka. A young teenager was with the woman, dressed in one of those white furred-coats; Kazuo almost didn't recognise the girl, but finally managed to put a name to the face. (Really, he just read the name shown under her when the camera zoomed in on her face.)

Kazumi "Naku" Hanaku was talking about her recent problems controling her anxiety, or at least that's what the bulletin said. The TV was muted, Kazuo finding it hard to read her lips from the distance he was from device. His eyes were drawn to her hair, however, and he found himself frowning at the shape of it. Who wore their hair in a bow nowadays? Hell, since when did anyone other than that Lady Gaga singer ever wear it like that?

"Sir?"

Kazuo blinked and cleared his throat. "Yes?" he replied. The acne-riddled teen behind the counter raised his eyebrows in question.

"What would you like to order?" he asked.

Kazuo was about to reply, only to have something else catch his attention. Outside, running past the window, were two young girls and a German Sheppard. Both girls were covered in what appeared to be a small amount of blood, arousing some confusion in the nineteen-year-old. "Sir?" the clerk asked. "Is something wrong?"

He only offered a shake of his head before dashing out of the coffee shop, giving chase to the girls and their dog.

* * *

Kazumi shifted in her seat and fixed her skirt, holding back a groan as the ignorant reporter asked her yet _another_ question about her anxiety problems. She was sick and tired of it, wanted to talk about her new album and the songs on it.

She tucked a strand of her strawberry blonde hair behind her ear, sighing audibly. Haruko fumbled with her sentence, caught off-guard by the sound.

"E-Excuse me," she apologised. "Perhaps we should move on to a different topic?"

_You think?_ Kazumi thought with venom. Honestly, something was wrong with the old woman. Okay, maybe she wasn't old - compared to Kazumi she was, but the woman was only thirty-something. Okay, that actually was old!

"Please," she said sweetly. Haruko smiled nervously and went over her papers, giving Kazumi some time to smile for the camera. Her throat felt a little parched, and almost immediately she asked Haruko, "I'd like some water."

Within seconds a cameraman was at her side with a glass of water in his hand, passing it to her like it would shatter from the slightest movement. Kazumi drank from it generously and waited for Haruko's next question.

"So, Naku," Kazumi said, recomposing herself. The camera shifted to her for a moment, earning a small frown from Kazumi. "You said this was a tell-all interview, correct?"

_That was my manager's idea, not mine_.

"Yes." She nodded.

"You wouldn't mind telling about how your family and life with them?" Haruko went on. _Here we go..._

Kazumi cleared her throat and answered, "I would, but this is a tell-all interview. I suppose it can't be avoided." She feigned sadness. "It's just... I promised my father I wouldn't get them in trouble with the paparazzi and all that."

Haruko fumbled again, this time clearing her throat as well. "Well, why not tell me about your new album? _Kuru Otome_'s new hit _Shedding Wings_ has already reached number one in the music charts." Haruko leaned forward in her seat, smiling. Kazumi wasn't liking how close she was. "What do some of he songs mean? There are a lot with very mysterious titles - _Shedding Wings_ being one of them - but what about _Birds of a Feather _and _Falling Hard_?"

_Finally!_ "The album itself is called _Heaven Bound_, Haruko, so one can assume that the songs have something to do with the sky or clouds or wings. I'd rather not go into detail about some of the songs, as Karry wrote most of the album, but I can tell the meaning behind _Birds of a Feather_.

"The song is about commoners and noblemen. It explains that no two groups can join - like doves and ravens. The noblemen are doves, graceful and beautiful, a symbol of hope; meanwhile the commoners are ravens, dirty, unwanted, and a symbol of death. Doves and ravens don't socialise and have tea on Sundays together, so why should commoners and noblemen do the same?"

Haruko dropped her pen. "That's, ah, very _insightful_, Naku." She let out a nervous laugh. Haruko turned to the camera and said, "More to come after the break."

The camera man gave a motion to tell them they were off air, and then Kazumi began to finish her drink. Haruko stood from her seat and stormed over to a snack table in the far end of the room. Kazumi caught the words, "Stuck up brat," before Haruko began to nibble on a bagel.

_I don't have to take that from a commoner_, Kazumi thought with distaste.

If she wanted to get up and scream that at Haruko, Kazumi wouldn't have gotten much time to do it. Because at that moment, the doors were kicked open and a blood-covered cameraman stumbled inside.

* * *

Outside was looking a little hectic. Minori debated to himself on what was going on, but couldn't seem to think of anything rational. He wasn't really panicking about it - he was safe inside his home.

"Mimi," Kameyo, his mother, called out. She was in the other room, getting changed to go out. "How's the weather outside?"

Minori considered his answer. _Peachy. Dandy. Glorious. _"It's fine, mother," he replied.

His mother entered the room, a bobby pin held with her lips as she fixed a certain strand of hair. As soon as it was where she wanted it, she held it with the bobby pin and began to put in her earrings. "No signs of rain?" she asked. He shook his head. "Excellent. I'll be back soon, sweetie."

She left the room once her earrings were in place, getting ready to leave for her appointment. Minori turned his attention back to outside, watching the crowd form around the fallen people. They appeared to be dead, but it was hard to tell with all those bystanders crowding around them. He lifted his head a little higher, altering his view a little. Damn, he couldn't see properly...

"Kin!" he called, keeping his eyes on the scene outside.

"What?" Kin, his younger brother, replied. The thirteen-year-old strolled into the room, dressed in regular boy clothes now that his mother was gone. Minori was still in his pink sweet Lolita dress, and didn't feel like changing more than necessary for the day.

Minori beckoned his brother over and made room for him to witness the scene. Kin was by his side within seconds, watching as the limousine belonging to their mother reversed out of the drive. Kin and Minori kept their eyes on it for a moment, then shifted their gaze toward the group of people. The limousine drove past the group smoothly, barely stopping to see what was wrong, and sped off into the distance. As it did, a person from the group screamed loud enough to be heard through the window, surprising Minori and Kin. Concerned, but remarkably calm, Minori looked to Kin and nodded to his mother's dresser. Kin understood and sped over, opening the top drawer and fishing around the underwear for a particular item. Once he found the gun, he tucked it into his pocket and joined his brother once more.

The crowd was getting rowdy, though still remained small enough to drive through without damaging a car. Minori watched as the one they'd been crowding around suddenly stood, silent and pale as he stood on his own. All of a sudden, he lashed out at a nearby student - sank his teeth into the poor boy's arm while the others surrounding the duo ran away in shock and fear. Minori narrowed his eyes at the scene, only to notice that the gates to their house had not yet been closed. Yuzuki, the man at the gate, must not have closed it yet. Minori figured that the middle-aged man was going to try and shoo away the savage man outside, but decided not to take any chances.

He turned away from the window, shutting the curtains as he did so, and led his brother out of the room. Minori turned left upon entering the hall once more, making his way to the tunnel connected to the living room fireplace. It was only a thirty-second walk, but Minori felt as though it had taken five minutes to get there and five more to convince Kin to climb into the fireplace.

"There's a torch behind you - feel for it," he ordered. Once Kin grabbed the small object and displayed it, Minori went on, "I need you to get off of the property and go to the police station. I'll get everyone else and join you there, okay?"

Kin nodded, looking a little less than confident about this whole thing. Minori offered his brother a small smile, then lowered the metal caging that sealed off the tunnel from the house.

_All I have to do is get Suzume and everyone else, and we should be fine. I'm sure Yuzuki can handle a guy that bites people._

* * *

There was a list of things Cross had not been expecting to have happen this week - one was the fish that slapped across the face just a few days ago, another was arriving in Japan, and a most recent one was waking up to find people rubbing their hands on his motel room window as they all squished themselves onto the glass. Cross had woken up to this, had been staring at them from his bed for the past hour. Okay, he was smart enough to know that this wasn't normal - not unless the Japanese idea of "flashmob" included scaring the living shit out of the people they're mobbing.

He contemplated waiting until they left, but a few of them looked a little too big to take down in one shot. Then again, he did have a baseball bat in the room he could use. It wasn't his, but some kid probably left it here by accident. He didn't care, though; he wanted to know what these people wanted.

Growing impatient, he hopped off of the bed and began to make his way toward the metal sports equipment. It was around the same length as the ones in high school, so Cross figued the kid must've been in between starting and finishing school. On the smaller end was a name - one he could only just read - that stated who the owner was. It was worn out and old, as though it was second-hand, and he could only make out the first name: Satoshi.

Cross twirled the bat in his hand, feeling the weight of it. He shrugged, satisfied with it, and turned to face the door. The window had cracked a little from the pressure placed on it, a large spiderweb making its way to the corners of the glass. Cross frowned and readied the bat, only to realise there'd be too many to ward off on his own. He'd be swarmed before thirty seconds would pass.

The door to the bathroom was to his right, closed and empty. An idea forming in his mind, he reached for his backpack and slung it over his shoulder, side-stepping toward the next room as quietly as he could. None of the people outside seemed to notice him, causing him to wonder if something was wrong with them. Were they having some kind of shared hallucination? Actually, that _would_ explain their behaviour. Kind of. Okay, maybe not entirely. Shaking his head clear of the thought, he crept into the bathroom and shut the door, locking it as he did so. Cross hurriedly ran for the window above the toilet, standing on the lid as he checked outside. Nothing much was going on, aside from people screaming in their cars and crashing into telephone poles. A few were walking around aimlessly, vacant expressions on their faces. Some of them were covered in blood, earning a raised brow from the blonde.

A loud smash from the room oon the other side of the door alerted him that he needed to move now. Wasting no time, Cross used as much strength as he could muster to force open the window, the damn thing apparently stuck together by a brownish substance. Cross didn't stop to think about what it could possibly be and then climbed out head-first. It took some shifting around before he could turn himself around and start walking along the wall. He found it sort of coincedental that the motel happened to have a very small ledge running between the first and second floors.

He walked along it slowly, the bathroom window further and further away, and soon began to wonder where he could get down without someone spotting him. His eyes searched the area, looking for some way to get away from the motel, and soon spotted a ladder leading to the roof. Cross grinned. It seemed his luck was starting to kick in. Determination in his limbs, he continued along the ledge until he reached the ladder, then tucked the baseball bat underneath his arm and reached for a metal rung. Once her had at least one foot standing firmly on the ladder, he began to climb as fast as he could.

The roof of the motel was virtually empty, save for a few footballs and tennis balls. Cross surveyed the ground below once he was on the front end of the roof. How the hell had he slept through this? There was just so much blood on the people, all of whom were stumbling around and biting anyone who tried running. Cars were on fire, some of them beeping out their alarms, and Cross could've sworn he just saw a bus hit a telephone pole at the end of the street.

Cross cleared his throat and glanced about again, this time spotting a house beside the motel. There was a small alleyway between the two buildings, but it appeared too big for the average person to jump across. Weighing up the option of taking a chance against the option of staying put, Cross reached into his bag for his mp3 and unwrapped the black earphones. Screw it - he was going to do it. Cross inserted a bud into each ear and slung the bag over his shoulder once more, then selected a song to listen to. Once he was happy with his choice, he broke into a sprint, preparing to jump across.

* * *

Kyoko fiddled with the hem of her skirt impatiently, waiting for the meeting to be over so she and her father could go home. She liked being there and persuading people to see things Akiru's way, but today Kyoko just felt too tired to do anything.

"Yoko, what do you think of this change?"

Kyoko blinked and looked up, spotting Akiru pointing to the powerpoint - the current page showed statistics of a production change, something that could benefit Hatsune Corp greatly if handled correctly.

"It's pretty effective," she said. "If we get the right people to manage it, we can improve in production and quality at the same time, as well as sales."

The men and women seated at the table whispered and muttered a few things to each other, only to have a man who was obviously new complain, "Why would you take advice from a kid, sir? She may be your daughter, but she's still a child."

The girl's almond-brown eyes locked onto the man. He was the youngest of the group, probably in his early thirties, with his black hair greying behind his ears. He wore large, rectangular glasses, as well as a very dark suit that had a red tie as the only bright thing on him.

Everyone went silent once he'd said it, all shocked that he would say something without even bothering to find out why Kyoko was even here in the first place. She stared at the man for a moment, trying to put a name to the face, but couldn't - for the life of her - figure out this man's name. Akiru sighed and launched into the tedious speech about how Kyoko was smart enough to belong at the table and how she'd been learning about her own corperation longer than a man twice her age had been. Kyoko couldn't help but smile a little bit when her father said this; feel ackowledged for her ability to make a good business decision.

"That's your only warning, Yataro," Akiru sighed, turning to his presentation once more. Yataro went red and busied himself with his paperwork, suddenly finding the blue pen in his hand interesting. "Back to-"

A loud and high noise cut him off, the source coming from the speaker residing in the far corner of the room. All eyes went up to it, curious to see why such a horrible noise was being made at this hour.

"_Attention, everyone_," a voice came through. Kyoko recognised it as Rima, the receptionist. "_We've have an intruder on the premesis. The intruder is aggressive and unarmed, and it is advised that everyone stay calm and evacuate the building through the emergency exits._" Rima cut herself off with a grunt, followed by a whimper. "_The intruder has been wounded, but doesn't seem to be slowing down much. A security guard has fired shots, but nothing seems to be working. I repeat, evacuate calmly through the emergency exits-_" A loud bang cut her off again, and it sounded as though she dropped the microphone. "_What the hell!? Kino, you said you got him in the heart! Why is he still-_"

The microphone cut off for a final time, leaving everyone in the room to stare in shock at the speaker. Kyoko could feel her hands trembling, and out of the corner of her eye she spotted Yataro drop his pen onto the floor. "W-What?" he squeaked. Akiru, who'd been staring agape at the speaker along with the others, composed himself and turned to face the people in the room.

"You heard Rima," he growled. "You need to head toward the emergency exits. Kyoko, you go with them as well."

Kyoko nodded and stood immediately, looking to the older men and women around the table. One woman was shaking so much that her bun was coming out of place, while one man looked as though he'd break down and cry at any moment. Sucking in a breath, Kyoko headed toward the door and grasped the handle.

"You heard the man," she said. "Please come with me."

* * *

**Baddabing, baddaboom, done. I think I should get brownie points for finishing this after suffering through immunisations today. I'd thought we were free once we hit year nine and ten. I. Was. WRONG.**

**Uh... A big ol' apology for how long this took - I've been between stories, especially in the Cassandra Clare fandom and stuff. It's also Friday, so I'll be up late tonight working on the next chapter (which will be out whenever). I'll also be having a Magi marathon, so let's hope I make it to the end and get on with Puella Magi. (Yep... My past few weekends consisted of anime marathons.)**


	4. 3: Hijacking Vehicles

**This took too long for me to write -.-" I need to start getting back into it... Hopefully I'll have more time to when school holidays roll around and Deb training is over...**

**Not all of the characters have been introduced yet, but they will all come in soon. Please be patient.**

* * *

"Go away, go away, _go away_!" she screeched. Kazumi swung the camera stand at the reporter, tears stinging in the back of her eyes. Why was everyone attacking her? Why were they all making those moans and eating each other? What was going on?

Haruko wheezed a little, barely fazed as Kazumi beat her on the arm with the equipment. Haruko barely looked like she felt anything, a blank stare in her glassy eyes. It was scaring Kazumi; she was still so young, and now she was going to die! While the thought of being seventeen forever was a desirable one, she certainly hadn't hoped it would come true like this! She didn't want to look like a dead body that ate people! She wanted to be pretty and loved and admired, for crying out loud! Haruko grabbed the camera stand and pulled it out of Kazumi's hands forcefully, causing the girl to stumble and almost fall to the ground. Kazumi stared up and felt fear overcome her. It was the crazed fan all over again, only this time she had no bodyguards to help her. She had no one...

The reporter grabbed hold of Kazumi's arms and lunged for her throat, only to fall limp to the ground as she dragged Kazumi along with her. Kazumi stared ahead in shock, barely paying attention to the person in front of her. Was she safe? Was she alive? Who... Who had helped her? Surely her handsome prince had come in and saved her from this peril!

Kazumi's eyes trailed up, only to meet the very non-male face of a teenage girl. She was smiling dumbly, looking like an absolute fool. Her eyes were closed as she smiled, her strawberry blonde hair falling to the side as she tilted her head. Kazumi scowled and stood, looking around for a moment. Everyone else had run off the moment Haruko turned on them and tried to eat Kazumi. How weak of them! Leaving her to fend for herself! Kazumi stood with a huff, glaring at the girl in front of her.

"Don't just stand there!" she ordered. "Help me get out!"

The girl's eyes went wide, as though she'd just remembered something she'd forgotten. She saluted Kazumi, obviously enthusiastic. "Yes, ma'am!" she replied. She then paused and stared at Kazumi, eyes growing even wider. How it was possible, Kazumi didn't know. "You're Naku!"

Kazumi scowled again, still glaring at her. "Yeah, yeah," she growled. "Just get me out of here, already!"

The girl nodded enthusiastically and turned on her heel, guiding Kazumi out of the room with that dumb smile still on her face. Kazumi's scowl softened a bit while the girl's back was facing her, a plan forming in her mind. This girl knew the greatness that is Naku, a singer from _Kuru Otome_. She was so willing to do as she was told, too. Kazumi grinned to herself, the plan piecing together.

_If I play my cards right, I can get myself a little slave._

The girl came bounding toward her, a bloody coat hanger in her hand. Kazumi wondered where it could've come from, only to remember that Haruko had to have been hit with something strong enough to deal damage. Well, at least _someone_ saved her from peril. "It's all clear outside, Naku," she said, smiling. "Where do you want to go?"

Kazumi frowned to herself. Where did she want to go? Surely home would be a good start, and then the police station. She dusted off her coat and then took a hands-on-hips stance, announcing, "We'll go to my house and then we'll get to the police station to seek help. By the way," she added, "who the hell are you?"

Giving her that dumb smile again, she replied, "My name's Kyoko Hatsune. I have to say that it's an honour to meet you, Naku."

"Whatever." Kazumi blinked, staring at Kyoko in shock. "Hatsune? As in-"

"Yep," Kyoko cut her off, her dumb smile becoming slightly annoying. "Just like Miku."

It seemed she wanted the conversation to end there, but Kazumi knew it was going to pop up again in the near future. With a huff and a quick nose-in-the-air gesture, she picked up the camera stand and began to swagger out of the room. She hardly gave Haruko's body a glance, stepping onto her back to pass her, and ordered Kyoko to follow her out. Kyoko obeyed, more than willing to do as Kazumi said.

They exited the studio, hardly any of the people left inside (however Kazumi did have to whack one across the face with her camera stand when he tried to get a bite of her arm), and continued out into the street. People were screaming, a car was on fire, and a few people were already trying to eat each other. Kazumi and Kyoko ran for the road, about to cross it, only to have a black car almost run them over. Kazumi screamed hysterically, then slammed her hands on the bonnet.

"You jerk!" she yelled. "You could've killed me!"

"And me," Kyoko added quietly, still smiling. Kazumi honestly wouldn't have cared if Kyoko was run over...

Kazumi kicked the car with one high-heeled shoe, scowling at the driver as he flipped her off and began to drive around her. She scowled further, watching him drive off before colliding with another car. Stupid drivers in their stupid cars!

Not wasting any time, the two crossed the road and headed in the direction of Kazumi's house. They didn't travel far with the weapons and strength they had, and it didn't take long for the celebrity to realise that they needed a vehicle to get there. She scowled for a third time, displeased at how everything was against her today, and turned to Kyoko furiously.

"Commoner," she growled. "Find something we can drive back to my house. It'll take too long on foot."

Kyoko saluted her happily and skipped off in a random direction, heading for the first car she saw. Kazumi followed, asking herself what she'd done to deserve this kind of fate, and waited as patiently as she could for the airheaded girl to find transportation.

* * *

_That can't be good..._

Tom skidded to a stop in the middle of the footpath, the sounds of distant sirens and screams reaching his ears. Not long ago he'd seen multiple trails of smoke rise up into the sky, figuring that a massive fire had broken out on the other side of town, but now he was getting worried; the smoke was still far away, yet the screams and cars were getting closer to where he was jogging.

He listened for a few seconds longer, as did the other pedestrians around him. Something was off - he could feel it deep down in his stomach - but he couldn't tell _what_. Frowning just a bit, he continued on with his path and cleared his thoughts of the screams. Maybe they were just people grief-stricken by the fires, and the sirens were fire trucks or something? Yeah, that sounded about right; fire trucks and sad people.

_Then again_, he reminded himself. _The fires were there for a while, and I'm pretty sure that smoke's been rising since before I left the house. I probably should've watched the news for a bit longer... No, I probably wouldn't have survived watching Naku being interviewed - especially not after she started spouting that "birds of a feather" crap._

He turned a corner, mind wandering back to the news report before the singer's interview. He was pretty sure it had only been a weather report - weather in his favour, he proudly thought - but other than that there was no breaking news concerning fires or anything disastrous. In fact, nothing had been happening around that time. Maybe it had begun after he'd turned the TV off? That had to be it - that had to be the only reason why he didn't see it on the news before he left.

Tom slowed his jog to a walk, unable to get his head away from the smoke and the screams. He'd been out for a while, and if the fires had been there since before he left, then shouldn't they have been put out by now? He shook his head, growling to himself as he passed a group of texting teens. He really needed to focus and make sure he didn't get lost on his way home, and yet here he was thinking about something on the other side of town!

_Bad Thomas!_ he mentally scolded. _You should be thinking "left foot, right foot"; not "ambulance siren, fire truck siren"!_

Slowing to a stop, he let out a sigh and reached behind him, his fingers sliding inside his backpack and feeling the cap of his water bottle. The moment he had a good grip on it, he pulled it out and began to take small sips of the drink as he cleared his head. No more thinking of things happening on the other side of town; now he was shifting his focus to where he was standing and what he was doing.

Easier said than done.

Curiosity getting the better of him, he turned on his heel and began walking back the way he came, deciding to cut his jog short and hoping to catch the full story on the news. The same group of texters came into view, one of them talking through their phone angrily as the others listened not-so-covertly. Tom resisted the urge to roll his eyes, instantly reminded of Naku's attitude earlier that morning. How people like that were rewarded for being, well, _bitches_ was beyond him.

He arrived at the group, the angry girl's conversation loud and clear to him as he walked past, and he managed to catch a very worried yet furious, "You'd better be joking, runt, or I swear- Yuno? Yuno, what was that sound? Answer me, you little-" Just as Tom passed her, she pulled the phone away from her ear, appalled. "That little shit just hung up on me!"

Again, _how _could these people be rewarded?

Before he could stop himself, his mind wandered off once more. Man, he was really out of it today! First he was thinking of the smoke, and now he was thinking of the kid the girl was yelling at. There was good reason for it, though; what if the kid - Yuno - was near the fires? What if they'd just lost their parents in the fire? Then again, what were the odds of the girl living on the other side of town? But what else would the kid be calling about? Maybe-

A loud horn went off beside him, a neon-pink Beetle speeding toward him. Tom let out a yelp just as the brakes were slammed, and all he felt was the bumper poking his knee before a young girl's voice screamed at him, "_Get out of my way, peasant!_"

He blinked, unsure of what he'd heard, and bit back a groan when the driver's window wound down. Out poked the head of the very bitch he'd been thinking of earlier, her weird hairdo still intact despite the fact that she'd hit her head as she'd poked it out to look at him. Naku beeped the horn madly. "Move your ass!"

Beside her, in the passenger seat, a teen around the idol's age tried to calm her down. The teen smiled as she said soothing things to Naku, but the other girl was having none of it.

"Move it, or so help me I will run you over and leave you for those freaks to eat!" She turned her head to face the girl beside her. "Damn it, minion, I will throw you out and leave you with him if you don't shut up!"

Tom just stared at her with a disbelieving frown. "Any special reason why you're speeding whilst children are around?" he growled. Clearly he wasn't going to stand down without an explanation.

"Zombies, you commoner asshole!" She hit the accelerator, shoving him back a few steps as she moved the Beetle forward. "Get out of the way!"

Her friend said a few things hurriedly, smiling that same smile, and the expression on Naku's face changed from angry to blank. She considered what her friend had said, tossing the idea around in her head, and finally she let out a growl and looked to Tom once more.

"Get in the car and we'll explain on the way," she ordered. "_Now_." She revved the engine for emphasis. Confused by the situation but very reluctant to get in the car, Tom crossed his arms in front of him and raised a brow expectantly, demanding at least _some_ answers before he left with these strangers.

* * *

"This is so insane!" She raked her hands through her hair wildly. "But at the same time it's _so freakin' awesome_!"

Kazuo and Yomi stared at her with confused expressions on their faces, watching as Grigori jumped circles around her and nudged her legs every so often. The giant German Shepherd seemed to have taken a liking to the carrot-top, despite only being around her for little under an hour. It was rather odd, and while Kazuo couldn't deny the suggestion of animals liking certain people - (that was always the case when it came to cats and himself) - he still found this particular attachment to be...odd.

Aria let out a loud gasp. "It's like _Dawn of the Dead_, only without creepy kids in our bedrooms and cars crashing into trees," she realised. Yomi laughed at her friend, reminded her that they had, in fact, passed a banged-up car on their way to their current location.

The young yakuza member had managed to catch up to the girls soon after bursting out of the coffee shop, and after a long interrogation as to why they'd been covered in blood, he'd managed to find some truth in Shin's rather strange message. His first thought had been to find his family, get them safe, and find somewhere to hide out this zombie apocalypse. (He still refused to believe that an actual zombie scenario was playing out before him, much less that it was happening right where he lived.) His thoughts had ended up straying to what he should do about the girls, and in his haste to get home he'd invited them to come with him. Now, though... He was beginning to think travelling with a younger version of Shin was a good idea...

With a sigh, he pulled his phone from his pocket and checked for any messages - be they from the idiot himself or from Kazuo's family - but found his hopes deflating when not a single notification appeared. Kazuo pocketed the phone once more, hanging his head in uneasiness.

"Mr Nishi? Is something wrong?"

Kazuo looked up to find that the girls were watching him with worried eyes. He blinked, unsure of what to say, and shrugged at them. "Just worried about my family," he told them. A thought crossed his mind, his eyes widening as the realisation dawned on him. "Have you two-?"

"We've checked," Aria cut in, her grin falling into a frown. "Just a little before you pulled us up." Her tone suggested he drop the topic; something he was glad to do. This meant that their parents were either dead or zombified. Damn...

"Oi," the British girl growled, catching Kazuo's expression. The yakuza member blinked at her tone, surprised at how friendly the growl had sounded, and once again he was reminded of Shin. "Don't feel bad for us. We know how our families are - all we need to do is make sure _your_ family is okay. Alright?"

He nodded reluctantly, frowning a tad, and scanned the area in hopes of finding something - anything - to change the topic. The street seemed almost empty, save for the elderly and the nurses hanging about a building that appeared to be a nursing home, and almost every parking space was free. Every one of them, save for the one thing a nursing home always had: A minibus. The mental gears clicked, the eyes of the girls glancing between Kazuo and the home, and finally they understood.

Kazuo began to make his way to the building, approaching the closest nurse he could find. The woman, upon catching sight of the trio, did the obvious action anyone spotting blood-soaked people would do: She urged everyone she could get a hold of inside before calling for someone capable of holding off an intruder. While slightly let down over the fact that she'd retreated inside before hearing their story, he had to admit that it was expected of someone who didn't know people were eating each other down the other end of the street. He was pretty sure no one in the building knew, actually.

That was going to change pretty quickly.

He broke into a jog, leaving the girls to follow in quick steps behind him, and called to a male nurse coming out to send them away. The man looked nothing like someone who could hold off a psychopath, let alone three. In fact, he seemed like a cliché character in a manga who solely existed to be hated and to constantly state "rules" to everyone.

"This guy looks like a Cheerio pisser," Aria muttered to Yomi. Unable to fight back the small smile, Kazuo was once again reminded of Shin's humour.

Forcing a professional look on his face, Kazuo came to a stop just a few feet away from the nurse. "Please, hear us out before you send us away in what I assume will be a manner of disgust and smugness."

Glaring at Kazuo through his oversized glasses, he nodded. "Fine," he said through his teeth, revealing a row of braces. "You have ten seconds before I call the cops."

"Don't bother," Aria called from behind the older teen. "Yomi abused the shit out of my phone trying to get a hold of them." In response, Yomi kicked her ankle with a giggle.

"We just came from the centre of town," Kazuo told him, ignoring Aria's comment. "Place is overrun with people eating each other. Friend of mine thinks it's zombies, but I don't believe him. What I do believe, however, is that whatever's going on with people back there is going to reach here. You need to evacuate the elderly and find someplace to hide - maybe even try to outrun this thing and hope to God there's going to be a safe zone set up somewhere." At the nurse's quirked brow, Kazuo shook his head in exasperation. "Look, I don't know how this kind of stuff works - I'm not really one to delve into whatever the hell this classes as-"

"Zombie apocalypse," the girls supplied.

He waved a hand at them. "But I do know that staying put and in the open isn't going to help. You need to move."

A moment of silence passed them, the brow still quirked and the nurse still not responding. Kazuo stared at him evenly, careful not to let his expression slip, careful not to let the desperation to see his family safe come through. A few more silent seconds passed, the nurse letting out a breath and closing his eyes in thought. Kazuo was beginning to get impatient.

Finally, he turned on his heel and began to walk back to the door. He opened it, turned back to Kazuo, and told him, "You guys need help. No one's going anywhere and we're certainly not leaving our elderly with _you_."

He then slammed the door behind him, leaving the teens to stare in disbelief. What the actual hell?! Did this guy think they were crazy?! Actually, that question was probably best left unanswered.

Grigori, making a sound since meeting the nurse, whimpered and head-butted Kazuo's knee. When the tall teen looked down, Grigori turned his gaze to the minivan and began to creep toward it. Aria sighed as Yomi followed the dog, scratching the back of her head in agitation. She let out a groan, approaching Kazuo with a rather large frown on her face. "I hate to break it to you," she muttered, "but I don't know shit about hot wiring a minivan. My dad's SUV, yeah, but not a bloody minivan."

Unsure of how to respond, all Kazuo could say was, "You've attempted to hot wire your dad's car?"

She immediately took a defensive tone. "Hey, I was twelve and I was bored," she replied quickly. "Plus, you know, our neighbours were being annoying and wouldn't stop screaming at each other. It was pure luck I accidentally turned on the alarm and the headlights instead. Even more luck that, in my panic, I managed to start it up and reverse into our bins."

Okay, he really didn't need to know the reason why she did it - he just couldn't believe she'd accidentally learned how to hot wire a car at age twelve...

"Hey, Aria! Mr Nishi!" Yomi called, pulling open the door. "It's unlocked! Maybe the keys are inside, too!"

"Doubt it," Aria called back, jogging over to the minibus. "Look for some snacks; I'm starving."

As he watched the two girls raid the vehicle, Kazuo let out a breath and rethought his plan. He'd originally planned to take as many elderly as he could, maybe help get them somewhere safe instead of leaving them in the open, but that plan had obviously gone down the drain when the nurse retreated inside and refused to give them the keys to the minibus. Now he had to think of an entirely new plan; one that didn't leave them traveling on foot again. They needed as much energy as they could get, and walking around until they hit the next town or even the next horde of cannibals wasn't their best option.

What could he do now? There had to be something he could do to get them out of here... But what could he do without knowing how and where his family was? Realising that he had, in fact, forgotten about checking on his family, he pulled his phone out of his pocket to see if there were any notifications. There were none, and it seemed that almost ten minutes had passed. Barely enough time to start worrying about them being, well... No; he would give them all a day, and if he didn't get a response then he would assume the worst.

Nodding along with the decision, he blinked and brought his attention back to the minibus. The girls were still there, although this time they were crouched in front of it and petting the dog whilst talking about something that was apparently funny.

Maybe he could try and convince Aria to hot wire the minibus anyway? What harm could she possibly do? She'd done it with an SUV at age twelve (apparently), so maybe a minibus would be easier for her? No, maybe it wouldn't. Perhaps Yomi would- No, something about her naive smile told him otherwise. He supposed he could give it a try himself, see if he could successfully steal a car from a nursing home. He'd done worse things before, he reminded himself.

Just as he was about to make his way over and attempt to start the vehicle, he heard a rather out-of-place sound behind him. It sounded like a sort of skid - like rubber tires against the road - and soon he smelt the burn of rubber. He turned on his heel, curious, and met the eyes of two people on a Vespa, one male and the other female.

"What'd I tell ya, Bridget?" the male laughed, grinning madly. "We'd find a bigger ride, _and_ we'd find more people."

"People!" Yomi cheered. Grigori barked in excitement, jumping up and down a few times before running over to the new people.

"And look at the size of this horse!" the male went on. "I'm telling you, Bridget, we hit the jackpot with this group."

"My name's _Minori_," the girl growled, tightening her grip on her baseball bat.

Before anything else could be said, Kazuo took charge and said, "Can we please introduce ourselves later? My friends and I need to get out of here, and if you can get the minibus working then I'll be more than happy to give you a ride out of here as well."

At the sound of a free ride away from chaos, the male sped off of the Vespa and handed his own baseball bat to Aria. He climbed aboard, and Aria soon followed, leaving the bat with Yomi while remarking about seeing how the male's attempt would go.

That just left Kazuo and Grigori with "Bridget" and Yomi.

Might as well introduce himself now, he thought. Turning to "Bridget", he took in a breath and readied himself to speak; Yomi beat him to the task, though. She rushed to the lavender-haired girl's side, taking her hands in her own and staring at her face in awe.

"Your skin is so clear," she marvelled, eyes sparkling. "And your face is so sculpted... I bet you could pull any expression and look like a superstar! And those eyes... So green... Green is my favourite colour, did you know?"

All the while, "Bridget" directed a rather uncomfortable stare at the girl, leaning backwards in hopes of getting at least _some_ personal space. Kazuo decided to take charge, sparing "Bridget" from any further creepiness.

"Yomi, you're making her uncomfortable," he said, frowning a bit. Yomi blinked, wide eyes still on "Bridget", and then let out a nervous laugh.

"Whoops," she giggled. "I'm sorry; didn't mean to freak you out." She then took a step back from the other girl and held out a hand to shake, flashing that innocent smile once more. "I'm Yomi Suzumiya. My carrot-top friend is Aria Lambert. And this" - she nodded to the dog jumping up and down by their sides - "is Grigori."

"A pleasure," "Bridget" said uncertainly, taking Yomi's hand with reluctance and shaking it once. "I'm Minori Iriye. Ignore the imbecile who calls me Bridget."

Minori turned her gaze to Kazuo, who cleared his throat awkwardly. Well, he'd been completely left out of Yomi's introductions. Seemed he was to do his own instead. "I'm Kazuo Nishi," he said. He glanced back at the minibus, spotting Minori's companion sitting upside down in the driver seat, legs kicking at empty air while he worked the wires. "Who is your companion?"

"I don't know," Minori sighed. "Christ something-or-other. You'll have to ask him yourself."

He certainly would; Christ didn't exactly sound like a name someone would willingly go by.

Frowning further at how slow it was taking to hot wire the minibus, Kazuo said to the girls, "Keep an eye on the streets and the nursing home. Make sure Grigori stays with you, too." He then jogged over to the minibus and peeked in through the door, observing the scene before him. The man was still kicking his legs up in the air, working the wires, and Aria had moved from beside the driver seat to the front row, sinking low into her spot and staring at the roof of the vehicle tiredly.

"No luck?" Kazuo said, walking up to the blonde. A laugh - loud and maniacal - was all he got in reply.

Without anything else to say (aside from a later question of who this man was), Kazuo glanced back at the girls and made sure nothing bad was happening. His worries were quickly put to rest when he saw them in the same spot, this time with Yomi whispering something in Minori's ear. Kazuo figured she was sharing some kind of secret, marvelling at her ability to quickly befriend the other girl, but paused his thoughts when Minori sent a suspicious glare at Yomi.

Perhaps it wasn't just a regular little secret Yomi was sharing...

The moment she was done, Yomi grabbed hold of Minori's wrist and dragged her onto the minibus, Grigori trailing behind obediently as Yomi seated herself next to Aria. The moment the dog hopped up onto the seat behind the girls, the sound of success filled their ears in the form of an engine turning over. The blonde's legs kicked the air at the same time, mimicking a fist pump, and he immediately turned himself around to take the wheel.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen," he said, humour in his tone. "This is your driver, Cross Edwards, speaking. Our next destination is anywhere but crazy town, so I suggest you all buckle up for the bumpy ride ahead."

That was that, Kazuo thought. They were finally on their way out of there. Now he could just sit back and relax.

_If only it were that simple._

* * *

**Oh, God, it's done! I can guarantee that we will be seeing Phil and Elliot next chapter, and maybe even Shin. Sadly to say, Takuya will not be making an appearance, and the reason why has been put on the character page.**


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